Reaction time vs age
Simple visual reaction time follows a U-shaped curve across life: slow in childhood, fastest in the mid-20s, then a gentle drift upward. The shape matters more than any single number — and it's kinder than most people expect.
The curve at a glance
| Age | Expected average | vs peak |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 399 ms | +149 ms |
| 10 | 339 ms | +89 ms |
| 15 | 292 ms | +42 ms |
| 20 | 261 ms | +11 ms |
| 24 | 250 ms | peak |
| 30 | 257 ms | +7 ms |
| 40 | 277 ms | +27 ms |
| 50 | 302 ms | +52 ms |
| 60 | 331 ms | +81 ms |
| 70 | 362 ms | +112 ms |
| 80 | 397 ms | +147 ms |
Each age from 5 to 80 has its own page with the exact expected number and what to do about it — for example age 15, age 24, age 40 or age 65.
Why kids are slower
Children's motor pathways are still being myelinated — the insulation that speeds up nerve signals builds through adolescence. A 7-year-old's ~374 ms isn't lack of focus; it's biology mid-construction, improving on its own every year.
Why the peak lands in the mid-20s
By the early 20s the nervous system is fully built while processing speed is at its lifetime maximum — the curve bottoms out around 24 at ~250 ms untrained. Trained individuals at any adult age sit far below their age's average, which is the recurring theme of this whole curve.
Why the decline is slower than feared
From 25 to 50 the drift is only ~52 ms total. It steepens after 60, but even then much of the measured slowdown is caution and unfamiliar devices rather than nerve speed. Between-person differences dwarf between-age differences at every point: a practised 50-year-old beats an untrained 20-year-old, reliably.
Beating your age bracket
The method doesn't change with your birth year: short daily sessions, ten-round averages, sleep, and a device that isn't adding 50 ms of touch latency. Details in how to improve your reaction time — then check what counts as good for your number on pages like is 260 ms good?