Boys maturing earlier? May not be what you think

When my oldest nephew entered puberty, I had a talk with him. I basically warned him that it is normal for adolescents like him to constantly feel that the whole world is against him, with the whole world being his family and the government. Then I told him that he would have an overwhelming desire to focus, mentally or otherwise, on girls. I also told him that a teenager’s brain is basically made up of goo, poor on planning but strong on impulse. Then I connected the two in matters of sex and told him that the “rise” of his desire is, at adolescence, inversely proportional, to his emotional maturity. I concluded by telling him that if he acts on that “rise” before his brain catches up later on in adulthood, his mother and I agreed that we shall consider remedies, including surgical, to reconcile the gap. Of course, I was joking. I shall also ask his two grandmas and other aunts to get a consensus.

He shall again look at me with a nervous smile when I see him because I will tell him about the new evidence I found supporting my case (not for the “surgical” solution but for the sexual maturation of boys). In the August 2011 issue of PLoS One, a published study entitled “A Secular Trend Toward Earlier Male Sexual Maturity: Evidence from Shifting Ages of Male Young Adult Mortality” by Joshua R. Goldstein of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany will be my weapon of choice in my next conversation with my teenage nephew. This column serves as a fair warning to him. 

The PLoS study revealed that boys are reaching sexual maturity much earlier now than in the mid 1700s. You will be surprised at the data that was used to arrive at this. Goldstein used some data that showed the mortality rates of males in England, Norway, Denmark, Italy and Sweden. Looking at the plotted data, Goldstein zeroed in on what is called the “accident hump” — it means that age when human males die due to accident, violence or diseases. It revealed that the age at which they die is getting younger. You may ask, what does dying got to do with puberty?

The surge of testosterone in adolescent boys usually translates to risky behavior, occurring as accidents, violent situations or diseases, particularly from infection. This is why the “accident hump” was key to the finding. Goldstein found that this hump has been moving to an earlier age for human males at about 2.5 months per decade since the mid 1700s. This was even before cars came to add to the risks that teenage boys take. Very striking was that the boys’ choir when J.S. Bach led it in the mid 1700s had their voice change at 18. In 20th century London, it was 13. 

What could account for this early sexual maturation? Goldstein cited other studies that say that increased nutrition and a relatively disease-free environment could account for this. The bodies no longer needed to expend energy trying to fight off malnutrition and so many diseases so it is possible that it devoted more energy to sexual maturity. 

It gets even more interesting since this trend toward early sexual maturation in boys finds a parallel in girls. Menarche, which is the first menstrual cycle in girls, is also occurring at earlier ages. But what is supremely interesting is that even if sexual maturation has been occurring earlier, maturity, as evidenced by moving out of parents’ homes, being financially independent, and being able to have AND take care of one’s own family, has been occurring at later ages. This is especially true for boys. For girls, we may have to factor in some other variables, other than biological, like the forced traditional confinement of girls to pure domesticity that kept them from being independent for most of history. 

So far, this is what is clear. Boys in our midst get their mojos awakened earlier compared to boys 300 years ago. This happens, even if manhood and the presumed maturity that goes with it, has not reached their brains to match this. Does this mean we would have to redefine laws as to what “juvenile” means”? More importantly, what should we do in terms of education and child-raising in order to help 21st century boys avoid becoming part of the statistics forming the “accident hump”? As a country with almost 35 percent of its population 14 years old and below, we should be thinking about the implications of this study on our society. 

When my nephew started to build his case to request a car from his parents, he asked me if I could help. I told him that he should give me a reason, other than he just wants it, since all teenage boys want their own car. He promptly replied “yes, tita, but do you love them?” The study I cited did not say anything about the teenager’s ability for emotional blackmail but I will try to find one before I see my nephew.

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