The shortening of childhood, marked by earlier onset of puberty, does indeed raise questions about potential effects on emotional, psychological, and cognitive development. While there may not be extensive literature specifically addressing this issue, there are several hypotheses and observations that can shed light on potential impacts:

Overall, while the shortening of childhood and earlier onset of puberty may have evolutionary implications, such as increased reproductive fitness, it also raises important questions about the potential consequences for psychological and cognitive development. Continued research in this area is crucial for understanding the full range of effects and identifying strategies to support adolescents through this transitional period.

Professor Sandeep Jaiswal great response, I honestly assumed this was your field, some really deep insights on your part. Do you think anyone actually is considering the aspects you listed? yours Chris

This does not really answer the question, but it came to my mind while I read the thread.

Certainly in the UK, young people started working for a living younger than now days - e.g.:

https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/application/files/1414/5579/2208/what-was-life-for-children-victorian-London.pdf

But when I was at school, marriage could take place at 16 years of age:

https://www.marriagerecords.me.uk/history-of-marriage/#:~:text=The%20Marriage%20Act%201949%20is,age%20in%20England%20an

Now, in England, they can only leave school under certain circumstances:

https://www.gov.uk/know-when-you-can-leave-school#:~:text=England,end%20of%20the%20summer%20holidays.

Mary C R Wilson do you think that not going through menarche till 15 or 16 made them tougher, stronger, more durable, and the same for our grandfathers growing slower seems analogous to plants that grow slowly and sway to the wind don't topple over if they are in a rough windstorm. what do you think?

Christopher Gerard Yukna Christopher Gerard Yukna There's growing recognition of this issue. Here are some examples:

• Researchers are investigating the link between earlier puberty and mental health.
• Educational and social programs are being developed to support adolescents during puberty.
• Parents are receiving guidance on how to communicate effectively with their children about these changes.

While there's no easy solution, more awareness and ongoing research can help us address the challenges associated with a shortened childhood.

You can always read my article on Puberty below that is very enlightening for anybody to read in their coffee time!

Article Will Puberty Be In Mother's Womb In Future?

Prof Dr Christopher Gerard Yukna

I did not know the answer, so did a search. I realise that it is necessary to look at more than one source, but this was surprising. I looked at some of their references and found that there were a lot of factors involved:

https://research.reading.ac.uk/research-blog/children-arent-starting-puberty-younger-medieval-skeletons-reveal/

'Children aren’t starting puberty younger, medieval skeletons reveal'

Mary C R Wilson interesting, but flies in the face of the last hundred years or so of research. for example

Why Are Young Girls Getting Their First Periods Early?

📷

LinkedIn · Yashoda Hospitals

Early menarche has been linked to a higher incidence of developing health conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis,... https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/early-menarche-why-young-girls-getting-first-periods

chris

Prof Dr Christopher Gerard Yukna

I seem to find different reasons wherever I look. I tried to concentrate on more recent studies

This 2023 quotation:

'In 2021, in the UK, researchers found that leptin, a hormone related by fat cells that limit hunger, has an impact on the part of the brain that regulates sexual development and could be a factor in the decreasing age of onset.

Chemical exposure

Another widely posited cause of early onset puberty is the exposure to chemicals.'

is from:

https://www.thestack.world/news/wellness/hormones/why-are-girls-going-through-puberty-earlier-1678207986695

This 2020 quotation:

'Higher BMI also correlates with earlier breast gland development. The ongoing global obesity epidemic could partially explain the observed change in age at pubertal onset assessed as age at thelarche. Another potential factor could be exposure to increasing amounts of endocrine-disrupting chemicals mimicking and/or antagonizing endogenous sex steroid action, synthesis, or degradation.'

is from:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7042934/

So, it seems as if it is not known for sure.

Mary C R Wilson Lots of people have postulated reasons behind the shortening of childhood and Sandeep Jaiswal has pointed out many possible deleterious effects, however, I would like to ask you and Sandeep how would your life have been changed if two years of your childhood had been removed?

As to physical health effects, there is this study in India

A higher percentage of C- section delivery and hypertension during pregnancy is found among the women who have experienced early menarche. Women with early menarche have found greater odds ratios for increasing C- section delivery and hypertension during pregnancy among Deori and Kalita women

https://kuey.net/index.php/kuey/article/view/1830

Early menarche is associated with

• an increased risk of asthma among Danish female twins independently of BMI, age, physical activity, etc https://www.resmedjournal.com/article/S0954-6111(15)00106-7/fulltext
• increased risk of type 2 diabetes in rural Chinese women

  Article Early menarche is associated with an increased risk of type ...

• Younger age at the first menstrual period, menarche, is associated with increased risk of seven cancers in middle-age, https://dceg.cancer.gov/news-events/news/2021/menarche-seven-cancers
• Women with age at menarche before 12 years have higher risks of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and total cardiovascular and cancer

  Article Early Age at Menarche Associated with Cardiovascular Disease...

• there is also Both early (15 years) menarche is associated with decreased fecundability.

  Article Early or late menarche is associated with reduced fecundabil...

Sandeep and Mary there is a lot to process here

Thanks

Chris

Sandeep Jaiswal pretty funny idea of menarche eventually occuring at birth Article Will Puberty Be In Mother's Womb In Future?

Early Puberty Is Associated With Higher Academic Achievement

in Boys and Girls and Partially Explains Academic Sex Differences

Article Early Puberty Is Associated With Higher Academic Achievement...

So this seems like it is good news however humans have the longest childhood for a reason. We slow down physical growth to concentrate on intelligence development. Having initial higher academic achievement may be more due to neuron pruning at puberty than any ultimate mental superiority. It makes me wonder... Chris

Prof Dr Christopher Gerard Yukna

Thank you for these interesting pieces of research. You asked me how my life would have been changed if I had lost 2 years of childhood. I don't think I had a childhood and then adulthood. It was a process of maturation and a very individual thing; senior school, ordinary and then advanced level GCEs, and then nursing training, when I was expected to be 'grown-up'. I think it's an individual thing for everyone. At senior school, I had a very good friend who was thought not to be being challenged enough by the year of school that she was in, so she was moved up a year up, to the year which I was in. She seemed as as mature as everyone else in my year and I seem to remember that she was academically similar to me. We were both near the top of the class. But, of course, I was a year older. So, she did lose a year of her childhood?

Mary C R Wilson sounds great, nevertheless, a definition of human intellectual maturity might extend from toddler to when the frontal lobes finally mature at 25, but for this discussion, human childhood is the curiously unique period just after about two years of age and the onset of puberty. For the first two years of life a baby doubles in size, then for the next ten to fifteen years growth slows down significantly, and hormones decrease while seemingly synaptic and neuron growth is favored. This intense brain plasticity is then pruned back at puberty where the same cascade of hormonal changes that occurred in the first two years repeat and unnecessary brain cells are removed or pruned and this can be pronounced, resulting in a loss of close to 50% of the synaptic connections in some regions. BTW Women experience a very similar brain pruning or fine-tuning during pregnancy or if they are on the pill. No other species renders itself practically sexless for this juvenile decade or so. This mental playtime is one of the things that define homo sapiens. I hope I have explained adequately our odd preadolescence well enough. Chris

Christopher Gerard Yukna

Hi Chris,

You raise a very interesting point. However, the research on the potential health consequences of early menarche is concerning.

The studies you shared highlight an increased risk of various health problems later in life, including:

• Pregnancy complications: Higher rates of C-sections and hypertension during pregnancy for women who experienced early menarche.
• Chronic conditions: Increased risk of asthma, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
• Cancer: Greater risk of developing certain cancers in middle age.
• Fertility issues: Both very early and late menarche can be associated with decreased fertility.

My paper clearly states the decadence of human society of today being the primary cause of early menarche in kids. Actually it is not a joke, but the puberty age might eventually occur in the womb the way we are destroying our genes from generations to generations, every year to year and every single day. I had a normal childhood but I can image how the kids of today might be feeling on losing their childhood early. First they will not have the human connection, the empathy, the compassion as normal kids do, they will be more sexually deviant, prone to anti-social behaviour, suicides, health issues, mental health problems and last and not the least they will not have the connection to nature, society and happiness as normal people do. But the good news is that this all can be changed, reversed and retracted back to normal if we bring a transformative positive change in them at a deeper level thorough proven techniques.

Perhaps we can delve deeper into these health implications and explore how they might intersect with the broader societal trends you mentioned.

Thanks for sharing the research, Chris. It's a valuable addition to the conversation.

Sandeep

Very interesting responses, Prof Drs Christopher Gerard Yukna and Sandeep Jaiswal

Returning to my thread from yesterday; when I had a friend who had moved up a year, I also had a very good friend who did the first year of senior school twice, as it was felt that she would do better in our year rather than a class one year ahead. But remembering back, these two girls (as they were then) did not seem 2 years apart. I actually kept in contact with this friend and we used to meet up sometimes, she got to know my husband, and I got to know hers. Very sadly, we lost her at around Christmas time last year. I shall keep in touch with her husband. It was a sad loss for him, and us.

So - - - maybe quite a bit is environmental. You act as those who you are in close contact with. It was a boarding school (until we all left for A. levels and later university - the person who I mentioned yesterday - for A. levels and then nursing training - me - and nursery nurse training - the girl described above). But the girl who went to university was a day girl, and the other two of us boarded and naturally became close; a bit like sisters.

Mary C R Wilson,

Thank you for sharing your personal experiences and insights. I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. It’s clear that she had a significant impact on your life.

Your observations about the environmental influences on development are very astute. Indeed, our surroundings, including the people we interact with, can have a profound effect on our growth and development. This is especially true during our formative years, such as childhood and adolescence.

The experiences you shared about your friends who moved up a year or repeated a year highlight the complexity of human development. It’s not solely about biological maturation but also about social and emotional growth, which can be influenced by a multitude of factors, including our environment and experiences.

Your point about acting as those who we are in close contact with underscores the importance of positive role models and supportive environments in shaping our behaviors and attitudes. This aligns with the transformative positive change that I mentioned in my previous message.

Thank you again for your thoughtful contribution to this discussion. It’s been enlightening to consider these issues from multiple perspectives.

Best regards,

Sandeep

Thank you very much, Prof Sandeep Jaiswal for your response, above. Really interesting. You understood exactly what I meant and I understood exactly what you meant.

Yes, it was very sad to loose my friend at a relatively young age, in her early seventies. But they had children who, I'm sure, will have supported their father and he will have been there for them. One daughter followed in her mother's footsteps into nursery nursing.

Mary C R Wilson,

I appreciate your kind words, and I’m glad our understanding was mutual. Losing a friend is undoubtedly difficult, especially when they’ve left such a positive impact on our lives. It’s heartwarming to know that your friend’s children are there to support their father during this challenging time. The fact that one of the daughters followed in her mother’s footsteps into nursery nursing is a beautiful testament to the legacy she left behind. If you have any more stories or thoughts to share, feel free to continue—I’m here to listen! 😊

Thank you, Prof Sandeep Jaiswal

You are most welcome Mary C R Wilson !

Sandeep Jaiswal I am with you Mary C R Wilson is great cgy

Christopher Gerard Yukna Thanks for the support.