Elizabeth Korbert The Teenage Brain Sparknotes

It is widely known that adolescents are often prone to making poor decisions, a fact that is frequently evidenced by news stories on a wide variety of topics, such as unnecessary injuries or illegal activity. Frances Jensen, in her book "The Teenage Brain: a Neuroscientist’s Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults," argues that the poor judgment of teenagers is due in part to their still-growing brains. Elizabeth Kolbert, in her review of the book, references a study that revealed adolescent mice consumed more alcohol than their elders when studied in the same conditions.

As a young adult myself, I can vouch for the fact that my mind as well as the people of my age group have not completely finished developing. Furthermore, the younger a child is, the more immature you would expect them to act, another claim I can prove courtesy of my younger brother. However, while neurological development certainly plays a part in our decision-making, it is simply one of many factors that impact the choices we make. All adults are susceptible to making a negative choice, just as an average teenager can exhibit excellent judgment. In my opinion, a significant cause of the way our minds operate can be attributed to our own personal backgrounds and upbringings, as well as the experiences we face throughout our lives. For example, relating to Kolbert's mention of mice and alcohol, a person's history regarding alcohol, positive or negative, would …show more content…
Whenever I regret a past choice or experience, I justify it by committing myself to learn from it and not make the same mistake again later down the road. I believe this is one of the primary benefits of leaving your comfort zone and venturing into new opportunities - whether positive or negative, you will be wiser for it, as the mind cannot truly develop without engaging in new