Key Messages
The Neuroscience Behind The Teenage Brain: Understanding Pruning, Risk Taking And Digital Revolution
Every teenager knows how hectic and confusing adolescence can be.
Whether you’ve gone through it yourself or help teach/raise teens, there’s no denying the chaos of this period.
But what about science? How much do we know about what is going on in the teenage brain?
Fortunately, this book has sections dedicated to helping us understand better the science behind the teenage brain.
When you’re finished, you’ll know the basics on pruning, risk-taking in teens, and even why teenagers have been so successful with digital revolution.
Learn more about these topics and gain greater insight into teenagers by picking up a copy of Brainstorm: The Science of Teenage Minds for an authoritative look at their development!
Understanding The Adolescent Brain: A Guide To Accepting Teen Behaviour For Parents
It’s normal for teenagers to act out and seem rebellious from their parents – this is perfectly natural!
It doesn’t mean that something is wrong or that they are trying to pick a fight.
To understand adolescence better, we must first understand why teenagers think and act the way they do.
Many young children are completely comfortable with their parents’ presence.
But during adolescence, teens often become embarrassed by them and begin to criticize them much more frequently.
This can be difficult for parents but it’s necessary for them to gain independence and work towards maturity.
This “breaking away” phase is also evident in the way teenagers explore new things, connect with peers of similar age, and develop an intellectual distance from their parents.
All these experiences prepare them for life without direct parental guidance when they eventually leave the “nest”.
The Science Behind Teenagers’ Disregard For Risk
The story of Katey shows that adolescents may be aware of the risks associated with certain behaviors but are often unable to stop themselves.
Though she knew drinking alcohol was not allowed at her school and potentially dangerous, she still partook in it even going so far as to get the daughter of the school director drunk.
This pattern is common among teens, as they understand risks but find it difficult to practice self restraint because of the rush of dopamine hormones their brains experience when engaging in risky behavior.
These surges of dopamine create intense feelings of pleasure and happiness that override potentially harmful consequences and make it hard for them to say no.
Adolescents have higher levels dopamine in their brains than adults do, meaning their passion-seeking adventures bring more joy and fewer doubts about the potential harm.
Knowing this, it becomes easier to understand why teens don’t always know when to draw the line between safe behavior and risk-taking behavior – unexperience can lead them down dangerous paths if unchecked.
Peer Pressure Increases The Willingness Of Teenagers To Engage In Risky Behaviors And Explore New Worlds
Teenagers are fiercely social creatures, a trait which is hardwired and shaped by evolution.
This intense social engagement helps them prepare for the eventuality of leaving home – something which forms an important part of the human life cycle.
When teenagers go out into the wider world, they instinctively look for new support structures to help them cope with their newfound independence.
This means interacting with new people outside their usual family circle and forming strong social bonds.
This evolutionary development helps teenagers stay safe while engaging in dangerous activities such as cliff-jumping, as witnessed in the case Benji.
He had no way of knowing that he should bend his legs while jumping into the sea had it not been for peer pressure from other kids at the cliff edge.
Ultimately, this societal exploration leads to better opportunities in terms of education and employment because teens gain experience working outside their comfort zone – making them more adaptable later down the line.
The Need For Controlled Risk-Taking In Parenting: Why Supervised Activities Are Key For Teenagers
As a parent, it’s easy to let your teenagers “go it alone”.
We all want them to figure out life themselves by living it.
However, we also need to help them along the way and provide some guidance.
Take teenage reckless driving as an example.
This activity has some appeal as speeding induces a dopamine release that the adolescent brain craves.
But if left unchecked, serious accidents can occur where innocent bystanders may get hurt too.
That’s why parents have an important role in helping manage the risk their kids involve in thrill-seeking activities.
There are plenty of options for teens to feed their need for speed without risk – athletics, go-kart racing and skiing are just a few examples.
We can also supervise our teens while they indulge in high-risk activities such as skateboarding, so long as safety equipment is worn and strict rules are followed.
Not only will they get a kick out of speed but they’ll be able to relax afterwards knowing that risks were minimized.
Ultimately, if done properly, risky activities can provide teens with healthy outlets to balance out life’s challenges!
Adolescence Is A Time For Brain Pruning And Skill Sharpening
Adolescence is a key period of development for the human brain, and two key processes take place during this time: pruning and myelination.
Pruning is when the brain trims away any neurons or synapses that it doesn’t believe to be necessary based on experience.
Myelination involves the coating of neural membranes with a fatty substance called myelin, which allows neural messages to travel quickly.
Through these processes, the brain becomes more integrated and efficient.
As a result, adolescents benefit from an improved capacity to think critically and make better decisions – even if they’re not always so wise!
With this in mind, it’s important that teenagers take part in activities that can help their brains develop properly such as music or sports before puberty arrives.
This will signal to their brains that those skills are worth preserving in the prunning process.
In short, through pruning and myelination during adolescence, the brain becomes much more integrated – setting teens up for success in adulthood.
Appreciating Teenagers’ Innovative Capacity And Curiosity Through Compassion And Understanding
We all know that teenagers during adolescence crave for freedom and their own way of doing things, distinguishing themselves from the generations before them.
This is because they will be the ones defining the social interactions and structures of the future.
As part of this training period, teens develop a power to innovate unlike any other age group–a capacity for abstract thinking, self-reflection, and creative thought.
This drive can be seen in recent changes in the digital world with young people taking charge of tech advancements like social media platforms and YouTube stars.
However, when this innovation leads to unexpected consequences, it can be hard for adults to understand what is going on–but it is important that they still take time to try.
The author experienced this with his son’s band who decided to amplify their sound at full volume which nearly blew out the school windows.
The initial reaction was to prohibit them from using the practice room altogether; however after reflection it became clear that all these teenagers were merely trying to unleash their creativity!
Parents And Educators Can Help Teenagers Develop Their Potential Through Reflective Conversation
Teenagers should be encouraged to engage in reflective conversation to help them better relate to their peers, understand and to express their thoughts, emotions, dreams and aspirations.
This is an important tool that can help teens connect with others, while helping them learn the skills they need for effective communication.
Reflective conversation involves speaking without filtering – letting out whatever is on your mind or heart.
It should be done respectfully, avoiding topics related to day-to-day business such as household chores or sports but rather talking about more personal matters such as relationships difficulties, love and even sex.
It’s up to parents and educators to foster and guide these conversations in order for teens to fully reap the benefits of learning how to communicate plainly about what really matters most.
Studies have shown that engaging in reflective conversations helps stimulate the development of the prefrontal cortex – part of the brain which allows us to pay attention and attune ourselves to other people’s feelings.
It’s also where problem solving skills are developed as well as a sense of empathy – a key skill for forming lasting relationships with family, friends and partners alike.
Wrap Up
Brainstorm is a holistic guide for parents, teachers and adolescents alike.
Its primary message is that teenagers have incredible skills to offer that bode well for adulthood.
From mastering self-reflection to engaging with social norms and taking risks, teenagers are capable of so much if parents, teachers and loved ones show positivity and empathy in their behavior towards them.
It also offers actionable advice: parents should reflect on any fraying tempers they experience in the presence of their teen.
Even though it’s normal to lose one’s temper sometimes, they should still apologize if they’ve said or done something wrong.
Teens are still highly sensitive and need positive models of communication – this way relationships won’t be damaged in the long run.
