Is there a biological/physiological reason why children have so much energy? I was thinking, surely there must be a scientific explanation, and could this be replicated in adult humans?
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The reason humans evolved to be extremely active at a young age is because that is when both our bodies and minds are most rapidly developing. Compared to a hypothetical child who just sat quietly in a dark room, a more active child will develop better coordination and physical fitness. The more things and people they interact with, the more experiences they have and the more chances they get to learn about the world – things like cause and effect, what to do not hurt themselves, how to communicate with other people, etc. So they go at full speed for as long as they can, then they crash and sleep while their brain tries to make sense of all its new memories. In addition to being active while they are awake, children also sleep a lot more than adults since they need to regain all that energy they spent.
The energy cost to move a tiny 30 pound body is a small fraction of the energy cost to move a 200 lb adult body. So them bouncing off the walls looks like they have a ton on energy, but in fact you getting off the couch to clean up their mess requires twice as much.
Brain development REQUIRES bodily movements and exploring one’s environment, so young children really *must* investigate using their bodies to fulfill their curiosities about the world around them as part of normal human development.
children have a higher metabolic rate, transfer more oxygen through breath for atp making. Also aerobic muscle efficiency decreases w age
Partly because they have so much to learn and need to rush around finding out as much as possible, and partly because they don’t have the responsibilities and long days that make so many adults feel tired by comparison.
Exploring the world they are new to helps them adapt and understand what they are able to do. It’s the same reason kittens play.
I actually had this conversation with someone recently. It might sound simplistic, but… kids don’t drink alcohol or caffeine. They don’t smoke. They get a tremendous amount of exercise during the day. And a lot more sleep than most adults. They probably have a better diet than most adults. All this is assuming they are being raised well. But the point is, if I lived this kind of lifestyle I would have a lot more energy too!
Well, they don’t. Take a 10 yr old on a longer hike and you’ll quickly realize they are like fast-burning matches. They appear to have a lot of energy, but it’s mostly psychological (they scream, shout, jump, run around) but they cannot sustain it for a longer period of time. They do this because playing allows them to learn and they have to learn a lot when they are young.
They don’t have more energy. They consume and expend fewer calories and get tired very quickly. A healthy adult has significantly more capacity for mental/physical exertion than a child.
Kids appear energetic to us because we see them exerting energy with poor efficiency or even pointlessly, but this is a normal part of childhood learning/development. I guess this can incorrectly give the impression that their energy reserves are so large, they can afford to waste them.
Tongue in cheek answer: They siphon it from their care givers. That’s why adults caring for children are always exhausted. At least that was my hypothesis when raising my two boys.
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