Mental Age Compatibility: Quantification through the Convolution of Probability Distributions

TL;DR

This paper introduces a probabilistic framework to quantify mental age compatibility between individuals, challenging societal assumptions by modeling mental age as normally distributed around chronological age and analyzing its implications.

Contribution

It develops a general formula for the probability of mental age proximity between individuals of given ages, providing a scientific basis for understanding mental age differences.

Findings

Mental age follows a normal distribution around chronological age.

The probability formula enables quantification of mental age compatibility.

Analysis of societal assumptions and population expectations.

Abstract

We build on the empirical finding that a human being's mental age is normally distributed around the chronological age. This opposes the frequent societal assumption "mental = chronological" which is known to be false in general but entertained for simplicity due to lack of methodology; hence disregarding that, f.e., people of different chronological ages can be much closer in their mental ages. As a quantitative approach on a scientific basis, we set up a general formula for the probability that two individuals of given ages are mentally within a certain range of years and investigate its implications i.a. by critically analyzing popular assumptions on age and computing statistical expectations within populations.