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Age regression is a term used to describe a psychological shift in which someone reverts to a previous area of mental development in order to cope with stress.

Age Regression in Psychology
Sigmund Freud, a neurologist who founded the developmental theory of psychoanalysis, is credited with the term 'age regression' as used in the field of psychology. He defined it as an unconscious defense mechanism caused by confrontation of negative emotions in which a person's mindset will revert to cope with these emotions. This is the currently accepted, broad definition of age regression with the exception that it is now known that it can be experienced consciously and sometimes purposefully as well.

The Mechanics of Age Regression
Age regression is often first triggered by a large amount of stress, to which the regressor's brain copes by causing a change in thought, feelings, and behavior. While regressed, someone will gain simpler and more direct thought processes, have a stronger emotional experience/response, and be more motivated by instantaneous satisfaction than the same person normally would. The decomplexity of thought processes allows the regressor to mentally focus on less things at once, thereby diminishing anxious or overwhelming thoughts. Stronger emotions allow the regressor to have emotional overides and through this escape negative feelings. The emphasized motivation in present satisfaction, as apposed to future satisfaction, is a way of the brain seeking out positive emotional triggers in order to overcome the stress that the age regression headspace was created to combat.

Secondary signs of age regression include changes in attraction (such as interests or visual preferences), changes in personality (such as acting more dependent, clingy, moody, or shy), and exhibiting childish behavior (such as increased clumsiness, body language changes more similar to that of a biological child's, or softer, higher pitched, simpler speech).

This shift may occur for an extended period of time but it is most often momentary in a period of stress. In most age regressors, it lasts anywhere between under an hour long to a day. The age regressor may enter/exit this headspace gradually or abruptly, with variation of timing and intensity between each person and situation.

Most age regression is healthy coping, but in cases of it lasting too long or being too deeply depended on psychologically it may turn harmful. If age regression is negatively impacting the regressor's life due to neglect of responsibilities, inappropriate behavior, mental instability, and so on counseling is advised in order to find and solve the underlying issue causing this response.

Safety of Age Regression
There has been no scientific finding showing that age regression alone has any negative effects on a person. However, as with every type of coping mechanism being overly-dependent on age regression may lead to avoidant or harmful behavior and it is recommended that it not be the person's default or only coping mechanism.

It should also be noted that age regression caused by hypnosis can indeed be mentally harmful, but is therefore rarely recommended or used. Hypnosis age regression however, is not the norm in experiencing age regression as a general mechanism.

Who Can Regress
Because age regression is simply a state of mind anyone can experience it. Age, gender, sex, culture, race, etc. have no affect on whether or not someone can regress, although it may affect how it is experienced. A person's mental health may also affect how age regression is experienced, but no mental health state can definitively prevent or block it from occurring.

The Online Age Regression Community
Age regression has its own set of hashtags and fully formed communities on most social media platforms; most notably Tumblr and Instagram.

Do Not Interact Lists
Because age regression is used as a coping mechanism many people with online accounts dedicated to it consider these accounts as their safespaces. In order to maintain this safespace it is not uncommon for users who are apart of the age regression community to have a "DNI" or "Do Not Interact" list posted on their profiles. Types of accounts listed on DNIs are those with upsetting or triggering content to the age regressor. In the community, unwanted interaction is taken seriously as it's seen as a violation of respect and lack of empathy for the regressor's mental health and/or trauma.

AgeRe/AgeReg
This is short for "age regression" or "age regressor."

Little
Another name for an age regressor, accompanied with the idea that the person is active in the online community. Note: "Little" can relate to multiple types of people including non-regressors.

Littlespace
The label given to the age regression headspace. It's also called things like smolspace, regressionspace, and babyspace depending on the person and context.

Little Age
The supposed age or age range of a regressor's headspace. Not all age regressors experience defined ages, but some find comfort in knowing what feeling of age their mindset goes to.

CglRe/CgRe
This is short for "caregiver - little regressor" or "caregiver - regressor" and relates to the relationship of an age regressor and their caregiver.