The Defining Decade

Trade Paperback

Why Your Twenties Matter--And How to Make the Most of Them Now

Revised and reissued for a new generation, The Defining Decade has changed the way millions of twentysomethings think about their twenties -- and themselves.

Our "thirty-is-the-new-twenty" culture tells us the twentysomething years don't matter. Some say they are an extended adolescence. Others call them an emerging adulthood. In The Defining Decade, Meg Jay argues that twentysomethings have been caught in a swirl of hype and misinformation, much of which has trivialized the most transformative time of our lives.

Drawing from more than two decades of work with thousands of clients and students, Jay weaves the latest science of the twentysomething years with behind-closed-doors stories from twentysomethings themselves. The result is a provocative read that shows us how work, relationships, personality, identity and even the brain can change more during this decade than at any other time in adulthood -- if we use the time well.

New in this updated edition:

* Up-to-date research on work, love, social media, the brain, friendship and fertility

* 29 conversations to have with your partner

* A social experiment in which "digital natives" go without their devices

* A Reader's Guide for book clubs, classrooms or further self-reflection

The Defining Decade shows us why, rather than a developmental downtime, our twenties are a developmental sweetspot. They are a time when the things we do-and the things we don't do -- will have an enormous effect across years and even generations to come.