- We all go through the teens years but these facts will remind us why.
Scientifically anyhow, this is what makes the teenage brain tick and makes up some of these teen brain facts.
According to Aristotle, the youth are heated by nature as drunk men by wine.
Socrates says, “They have bad manners and contempt for authority. They show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise.”
Teen Stereotypes:
(according to teens)
- Don’t follow the rules
- Addicted to their phones
- Lazy
- Contrarian
- Rebellious acts in stupid ways
- Not positive
Culture dependent norms and expectations are different depending on where
you live. Though, traits of teens seem to be somewhat universal.
Teen behaviors across species and cultures are risk-taking, novelty seeking, and peer relationships.
Jumping your parents car or literally couch surfing, among many others are a part of teen brain facts that we may have a harder time with.
Hormones are Responsible
Or are they?
Neuroscience tells us that science can now demonstrate that adolescents are immature not only to the observer’s eye but in the very fibers of their brains.
Gray matter and white matter have something to do with it. As we grow, more neurons are wrapped in myelin,(white.) With myelin, neurons can talk to each other about three 3,000 times faster.
This process begins before we’re born and by the time we’re teens, it’s come a long way. But, it’s not finished.
The last part of the brain that develops last is the front, the part of the brain that controls rational thought and reasoning.
The Amygdala
Then it comes to teenagers and their decisions, their front brain is slower at communicating with the rest of the brain. (This is one of the teen brain facts that we really should have grace with!) So those other parts take the lead, like the amygdala.
The amygdala or emotion center really helps to explain teen behavior.
By 18, a lot of places call this age “adult” but your brain isn’t there yet.
MRI machines observe the change from grey matter to white matter and that it stops at age 25. Your adult brain doesn’t show up until your mid 20s.
Teenage brains are both a less logical “adult” brain and also a brain that works in a fundamentally different way.
Teens are more likely than any other age group to get into a fatal car crash. If other teens are in the car with them, that risk is a lot higher.
If you take a driving simulator test, and test both adults and teenagers, they actually found that both take the same number of risks. This is certainly one of the strangest teen brain facts, but read on.
Risk is judged the same for adults or teens, so when they did the simulation again, they had friends of the participants watching them. The adults took about the same number of risks as the first time while teens too significantly more. Just knowing their peers could see them.
Unlike the adults, certain regions of the teens brains (associated with anticipating rewards) were more active.
How much do you remember about being a teenager? For Teen Brain Facts You Should Know: Part Two, click the link to read.
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