It's a matter of scientifically proven fact - not mere opinion - that the decision-making processes of teens occur primarily in the part of the brain that deals with emotions, while mature adults make decisions in the rational part of the brain. It's obvious to anyone who pays any attention to young people that there's quite a bit of variation between individuals, but on average, that shift isn't complete until the mid-twenties.
Research has also found that, on average, the brains of girls mature earlier than those of boys. I suspect it's unlikely that the 16 year-old you're referring to here is actually as emotionally and intellectually mature as she will be a decade from now, but I don't find it surprising that she seems very grown-up to you.
Having said that, you need to be aware that we're all liable to see what we want to see, and our brains are wired to find rational justifications for the things we do and want, even when the truth is that those things are the result of primal urges that originate in our lizard brains.
Is it normal for a 19 year old to date a 16 year old?
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It's a matter of scientifically proven fact - not mere opinion - that the decision-making processes of teens occur primarily in the part of the brain that deals with emotions, while mature adults make decisions in the rational part of the brain. It's obvious to anyone who pays any attention to young people that there's quite a bit of variation between individuals, but on average, that shift isn't complete until the mid-twenties.
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=3051#:~:text=The%20rational%20part%20of%20a,cortex%2C%20the%20brain's%20rational%20part.
Research has also found that, on average, the brains of girls mature earlier than those of boys. I suspect it's unlikely that the 16 year-old you're referring to here is actually as emotionally and intellectually mature as she will be a decade from now, but I don't find it surprising that she seems very grown-up to you.
Having said that, you need to be aware that we're all liable to see what we want to see, and our brains are wired to find rational justifications for the things we do and want, even when the truth is that those things are the result of primal urges that originate in our lizard brains.