If you could, would you choose to be a teen again?

[xilman]

Originally Posted by Dr Sardonicus

The movie Big, does not conform to either option. A kid is given a "look ahead," perhaps, but whether he remembers any of his "early adult" experiences is not clear. The scene of Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia playing "Heart and Soul" was a masterpiece.

I never saw Groundhog Day. However, the same basic idea was used in my favorite episode of The X-Files, entitled Monday. Its denouement reminds us that there can be a high price for making things "come out right."

See also
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/11/22/63

[MooMoo2]

Originally Posted by storm5510

The real challenge would be not to corrupt the time line too much.

For me, I'd pick option 1 now, but that's because I wasn't a teen in the 80s. The risk of messing with the timeline at that point is too big:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-24280831

Option 2 gets more attractive the older you get. A 40 year old probably wouldn't take it, but an 80 year old almost certainly would.

[xilman]

Originally Posted by MooMoo2

but an 80 year old almost certainly would.

I suspect you may be wrong.

[MooMoo2]

Originally Posted by MooMoo2

Option 2 gets more attractive the older you get. A 40 year old probably wouldn't take it, but an 80 year old almost certainly would.

Originally Posted by xilman

I suspect you may be wrong.

There are almost no downsides to taking option 2 at that age, but massive upsides.

Statistically, someone in their early 80s has less than a decade of remaining life expectancy. If you're likely to die in the near future, why not grab a second chance at life with a much fitter body? And wouldn't you want to see how the year 2070 is like?

[xilman]

Originally Posted by MooMoo2

There are almost no downsides to taking option 2 at that age, but massive upsides.

Statistically, someone in their early 80s has less than a decade of remaining life expectancy. If you're likely to die in the near future, why not grab a second chance at life with a much fitter body? And wouldn't you want to see how the year 2070 is like?

OTOH, would you not wish to avoid some of your earlier mistakes?

Depends on how serious those earlier mistakes may have been and how seriously they still affect you.

Extreme example: someone sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

I am sure you you can think of other, less extreme, examples.

I may change my mind in another twenty years or so.

[ixfd64]

I'd rather not lose my adult privileges. However, sometimes I do wish I could go back to being a teenager for a limited time while keeping my current knowledge.

[M344587487]

Option 2 is a good deathbed option. Option 1, assuming all specific loopholes like lottery/bitcoin/stock are nullified, is still probably good for all the generic good practices you could implement (like studying earlier/more, recognising/jumping on trends, having goals that don't invariably involve genitalia in some shape or form). Still, I'll pass until on my deathbed. Maybe not even then, it'd be a bit of a hassle going round a second time.

[Xyzzy]

30 more years to live? Sure! That means more time to learn stuff!

[mart_r]

Definitely option 2. That's funny, it's the least popular at the moment.

The thought of going to school again today crossed my mind a few times in the last 10+ years. I bet I'd be such a rebel (well, I have been somewhat of a rebel back then, but, not that much really).
For one, I'd be proud of not having a smartphone. I could think of other ways to spend recess.
I'd take advantage of mine being a little different than most of the other kids, without the shadow of insecurities above me. And, for the insecurities left, I wouldn't try to hide them as much as I did.
Looking back, I was quite sometimes subject to harrassment from older kids. The kind of stuff that happens to the not-so-cool kids. But hey, if it would ever be the case again, I'd also suffer with pride instead of fear.
If I could choose my age, say ± a couple of years, I'd go for being a ten-year-old. Clearly I don't like to go back to 1993 then, when I was that young. I'd like to see how the world advances from here and now on.
Contrary to popular notion, I'd probably be looking forward to make many of the mistakes that I missed to make when I was younger. In other words, the number of mistakes I can think of to make by far outnumber the ones that I have made.

See? Rebel P.O.V.

[tServo]

Before the afore mentioned movies, there was a classic "Twilight Zone" episode "Kick the Can". Interestingly, it was redone for the movie but with quite a different ending:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kick_the_Can

[The Carnivore]

Originally Posted by mart_r

If I could choose my age, say ± a couple of years, I'd go for being a ten-year-old.

Would you disguise your knowledge? A 10 year old who can solve differential equations would raise some eyebrows, but a 15 year old who can do the same thing would not stand out as much.