When you're fed up with self-obsessed twenty-somethings, try to remember that they'll be 33 one day.

For that's the age when they lose the 'all about me' attitude, research suggests.

By then, youthful selfishness subsides and people begin to consider others' feelings more often, researchers say.

When we reach 33, we are also more likely to make an effort with parents and grandparents and take a positive attitude towards ending feuds with family or friends.

The older we get, the more selfless we are in almost all areas of life – with the exception of volunteering in the community, the report suggests.

Most people agree that having children is the turning point in changing our attitudes towards other people.

This is when we apparently find ourselves worrying more about others and doing things for them, such as checking how they are getting home, offering to help with childcare and doing airport runs.

And we are more likely to keep an eye out for neighbours, as well as give up seats to elderly people on public transport.

We will probably also be more involved in the community and willing to donate money to good causes.

Those under 33 are most likely to admit to being very selfish – with 40 percent saying that they put themselves first in all circumstances.

However, 40 percent of this age group regularly volunteer for charity or their community – higher than any other age group.

The age at which we are most selfish is our teenage years, researchers found – with people saying that just growing up made them more likely to consider others.

Others cite meeting their partner or buying a house as the point at which they started being more compassionate and putting others first.

Researchers at Make-A-Wish Foundation UK came to their conclusion after studying the attitudes of 2,000 adults aged from 20 to 60.

(Read by Nelly Min. Nelly Min is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)

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(Agencies)