INSIDE THE TEENAGE MIND
Teenagers are at the mercy of their neurons, thanks to advances in neuroimaging over the past decade. Risk-taking, rudeness, late-nights, long lie-ins, mood swings. A certain way of life and attitude and the word, 'Teenager,' has become synonymous with all these words.
The more we learn about the teenage brain, the more we are realizing that much of the teenage behavior is the result of the distinctive way their brains are wired.
Some surprising knacks in teenagers have been unlocked by researchers, skills that are often hidden from sight. Who would have thought that teenagers actually get a thrill out of learning and have the prospect of souping up their IQ? Teenagers are also better at evaluating the risks and benefits of certain activities than adults in a number of circumstances.
Several of the personality characteristics we have associated with teenagers have been put a bit in the back of our minds over the past years, but without any reservation, there is some truth to their reputation. When compared to childhood, the adolescent years are associated with a 200% increase in the number of deaths from preventable causes.
Average Teenage Brain
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The Limbic system is a group of structures located on the medial aspect of each cerebral hemisphere and the diencephalon - the part of the forebrain between the cerebral hemispheres and the midbrain, including the thalamus, the epithalamus, and hypothalamus, its cerebral structures encircle (limbus - ring) the upper part of the brainstem. The limbic system is our emotional or affective (feelings) brain. This is the part of the brain which can be held responsible for teenage behavior. These collections of structures generate emotion and the feelings of reward when we do something enjoyable. It develops rapidly at puberty, which typically takes place between the ages of 10 and 12. It is during this time that the axons - the long slender projections on nerve cells - becomes coated in a sheath, called the myelin sheath. This coating allows a neuron to transmit its impulses more rapidly and it gives the limbic system a boost.
The Axon covered in Myelin Sheath
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The anterior association area, also called prefrontal cortex, is only fully formed when we are in our twenties. This is the last structure in the brain to develop fully. The prefrontal cortex lies in the frontal lobe, (forehead) and is the most complicated cortical region of all. It is involved with intellect, complex learning abilities (cognition), recall and personality. It contains working memory, which is necessary for the production of abstract ideas, judgment, reasoning, persistence, and planning. These abilities develop slowly in children, which implies that the prefrontal cortex matures slowly and depends heavily on positive and negative feedback from one's social environment. This is here where we imagine what might happen if certain scenarios play out. We then put these mental processes to use when we're navigating complex social situations. It is not that it is completely ineffective in the teenage brain, it is just not as effective as it should be.
Prefrontal Cortex & Limbic Center
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This slow development of the frontal association area and the fast development of the limbic system leads to a mismatch in the teenage brain. "The limbic system controls sexual behavior, novelty seeking, reward, and addiction. Teenagers are running with a lot of emotional energy, without the frontal lobe being able to dampen this down as it does in an adult." According to Prof Frances Jensen at the University of Pennsylvania and author of The Teenage Brain. Teenagers are more likely to take risks than adults, their risk judgment was better than adults.' Dr. Adriana Galvan, a neuroscientist and developmental psychologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, has done research on risk-taking between adolescents and adults and says of the outcome; "The world is full of uncertain outcomes, this research suggests that adults may be more cautious in circumstances where they needn't be, this has implications for the wider world, being cautious can preclude learning something new."
But this taste for risk-taking and thrill-seeking is what is thought to be at least responsible for the greater rate of preventable deaths among teenagers. When the teenagers were making the better risk-taking decisions than adults, they did not take any longer to make the choices than at other times. Rather than well-thought-through decisions, they were more spontaneous and it just happened to be the right choice. Sometimes it is a tactic that can have fatal consequences.
Too much information
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Teenagers learn better because their brains show greater communication between the hippocampus and the reward system than those of adults. Given that the teenage brains associate learning with reward, this raises the question of why they're often accused of less than enthusiastic towards homework and revision. Although learning does prompt a larger reaction in their highly reactive reward centers than it does in adults.
Great article! Very informative to us all, especially parents of teenagers and the society that expects certain behaviours from teenagers when they simply aren't ready for them. Resteemed! :)
Thank you, I wish I knew this when my three adult children were teenagers. Luckily I have another chance with my youngest son who is now 18. Strange enough, I look at him with different eyes now and just see his entangled complicated brain. Makes for quite a funny picture in my mind!
I just imagined you staring at him for minutes trying to figure out how his brain is working at that time! :D But I think that the pause you make to try to understand him has a huge impact on his behaviour, he then calms down and feels you are really trying to understand him :) Possibly, he will take those teachings and apply to his own children or even to teenagers he comes across with :)
He looks funny at me now, because of my changed attitude!
Thanks for that Article, first one I saw when I turned on the BLue light dopamine draining machine; speaking of dopamine, I would love to have you on the show in the new year or, at any point in the future, 2 months, 6 months, 2 years...whenever you have time to have a listen to the official podcasts we start putting up at @radiofusion so you can have a good feel for what we are all about. My cohost is the father of 2 loung ladies of the Millenial persuasion and I believe he is going to encourage the one to come on the steemengine...
Daily, I am speaking to Millennial youth AND their parents, including some of my friends, who have children that are classically defined as ADHD or ADD (If I called it that, I would be the latter). The conversation usually goes something like this at the end "you have a child with a large 5horse motor upstairs..and its running on a 3horse backup supply. #kindergartenquantumbiology is what I am calling my version of the information I am receiving from Dr, Jack Kruse - 3 medical residencies, practicing neurosurgeon (published) and "quantum biologist". I am anxious to pass this information along as I have done all the "hacks" and, due to my own unique history, I am returning to my alma mater to take up the bullhorn of love for these kids.
And I would like to have an educator on board..the only way to find a good fit is to have some conversations...and what better place than right here on Steemit/busy #busyboysdownbelow. Please contact me, I have a chat account now and I am also on, discord that the developes use!
Memory Slug - device for ADHD Youth - and also a super productivity tool for people that are in any type of fast paced environment. #inventionidea #raisingfundstohelpaddicts
Cf- 2017
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