“Good judgment is learned, but you can’t learn it if you don’t have the necessary hardware.” Dr. Yurgelun-Todd
“But I’m old enough to make my own decisions!” is something that parents often hear from their teenagers. Unfortunately for them, science doesn’t necessarily support our students’ claims.
Well developed sections of a teenager’s brain include the amygdala, responsible for immediate actions and aggression, and the nucleus accumbens, the area that looks for pleasure and reward (the more, the better!). The prefrontal cortex in the frontal lobe – responsible for impulse control, evaluating, understanding cause and effect, forming judgments and controlling emotions – is the least developed section of the brain, not maturing until our 20s. There, in a nutshell, is the scientific reason for all the stereotypes that teenagers are judged by and sometimes live up to.
As a result, teenagers are more likely to: act on impulse, misunderstand social cues, indulge in risky behavior, and get involved in accidents and fights. They are less likely to think before they act, consider consequences of their actions, or adapt possible dangerous behaviors.
Molly Edmonds, in her article Teenage Brain Development, sums it up in a humorous way.
“Think of the teenage brain as an entertainment center that hasn’t been fully hooked up. There are loose wires, so that the speaker system isn’t working with the DVD player, which in turn hasn’t been formatted to work with the television yet. And to top it all off, the remote control hasn’t even arrived!”
My fellow parents, guardians, teachers, and students too. Hold in there! Some weird decisions, emotions and lack of impulse control are a normal part of the teenage years and students’ development. Knowing this will make your life easier and might make you more accepting of your teenager’s outbursts and shenanigans. It’s normal, it will end, and we will all come out the other side.
References and further reading:
Talukder, Gargi. “Decision-making Is Still a Work in Progress for Teenagers.” Brain Connection.
Edmonds, Molly. “Are Teenage Brains Really Different from Adult Brains?” HowStuffWorks Science. HowStuffWorks, 26 Aug. 2008.
Aacap. “Teen Brain: Behavior, Problem Solving, and Decision Making.” American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.