The Teen Brain

Having heard and read from experts like Robert Epstein on the teen brain, I was surprised to hear this study from the Wall Street Journal.

“Recent studies in the neuroscientist B.J. Casey’s lab at Cornell University suggest that adolescents aren’t reckless because they underestimate risks, but because they overestimate rewards—or, rather, find rewards more rewarding than adults do. The reward centers of the adolescent brain are much more active than those of either children or adults. Think about the incomparable intensity of first love, the never-to-be-recaptured glory of the high-school basketball championship.” link

Finding a neurological difference in the teen brain contradicts much of what has been established. Epstein wrote a book strictly about this issue called The Myth of the Teen Brain. So to hear an actual physical distinction is significant.

This research could open more thinking towards the extended adolescent debate. Check out my ebook summary of the Youth Cartel‘s recent symposium for more about adolescence and its impact on youth ministry. Link