The Teen Brain: Risk Taking
The teen years are some of the hardest years in the span of a lifetime. Especially when certain brain functions cannot work because of daily struggles. However, the teen brain does exactly what it is wired to do. The teen brain is wired to take risk, make bad decisions, and be overly emotional.
Anatomy
The reason behind teens taking risk is the anatomy of the brain. Many of the important parts of this organ are not fully developed until the mid 20’s. The corpus callosum connects the left and right sides of the brain. It thickens as we mature, allowing us to relate and interpret information more successfully. The hippocampus is the memory directory. It helps set goals and weigh decisions. Furthermore, the frontal …show more content…
Teenagers recognize danger just as well as adults do. Teens, however, take more risks because of the reward that comes with their actions. Teens participate in more hazards when other teens are around because there is more of an award at the end. In an MRI scan on a teen it shows the reward center of the brain becoming more active when other teens are around. This can explain why teens may go ten miles per hour over the speed limit when their friends are in the car, or they may try alcohol and drugs at parties. According to Jay Giedd, “behaviors such as risk taking, sensation seeking, and turning away from parents and toward other peers are not signs of cognitive or emotional problems. They are a natural result of brain development, a normal part of adolescents learning how to negotiate a complex world” (2015, p. ) …show more content…
“The human brain is designed to pay attention to things that are new and different, a process called salience” (Shute, 2009, p. 38). The different risks the teens are facing allow them to learn important life lessons and basic knowledge. Neurologist Nancy Shute suggests that, “ [The] Mom and Dad need to figure out how to allow enough ‘good’ risk-taking to promote growth and prevent wasted talent--while also avoiding disaster” (p. 39). Shielding teens from the world is shown to be counterproductive in their brain growth. The teen brain is made to learn and overcome marvelous
The teen years are some of the hardest years in the span of a lifetime. Especially when certain brain functions cannot work because of daily struggles. However, the teen brain does exactly what it is wired to do. The teen brain is wired to take risk, make bad decisions, and be overly emotional.
Anatomy
The reason behind teens taking risk is the anatomy of the brain. Many of the important parts of this organ are not fully developed until the mid 20’s. The corpus callosum connects the left and right sides of the brain. It thickens as we mature, allowing us to relate and interpret information more successfully. The hippocampus is the memory directory. It helps set goals and weigh decisions. Furthermore, the frontal …show more content…
Teenagers recognize danger just as well as adults do. Teens, however, take more risks because of the reward that comes with their actions. Teens participate in more hazards when other teens are around because there is more of an award at the end. In an MRI scan on a teen it shows the reward center of the brain becoming more active when other teens are around. This can explain why teens may go ten miles per hour over the speed limit when their friends are in the car, or they may try alcohol and drugs at parties. According to Jay Giedd, “behaviors such as risk taking, sensation seeking, and turning away from parents and toward other peers are not signs of cognitive or emotional problems. They are a natural result of brain development, a normal part of adolescents learning how to negotiate a complex world” (2015, p. ) …show more content…
“The human brain is designed to pay attention to things that are new and different, a process called salience” (Shute, 2009, p. 38). The different risks the teens are facing allow them to learn important life lessons and basic knowledge. Neurologist Nancy Shute suggests that, “ [The] Mom and Dad need to figure out how to allow enough ‘good’ risk-taking to promote growth and prevent wasted talent--while also avoiding disaster” (p. 39). Shielding teens from the world is shown to be counterproductive in their brain growth. The teen brain is made to learn and overcome marvelous