Change In The Teenage Brain

“Your brain is an explanation; it’s never an excuse”, said by professor Frances E. Jensen. The brain is always an explanation on why a person does something, but it doesn’t completely control their actions or decisions. A person’s actions cannot solely be blamed on their brain, but the person themselves as well. Although, the brain is still a big part of the discussion for the decision-making that takes place for that individual. In fact, the development of the teenage brain involves many changes in the limbic system, peer pleasure, and in behaviors. Firstly, the limbic system is highly important in the development of the teenage brain. The brain tends to rely on the limbic system rather than the prefrontal cortex. In addition, when the brain

When the teenage brain is developing, the teenagers start to think in a more abstract way than previously. In fact, “abstract reasonings makes it possible to consider yourself from the eyes of others” (Nixon 8). To expand, teenagers are known to care too much about what others think of them and this is the reason why. This experience in the brain can change how teenagers can think of themselves. The actuality of the situation is that they can start to develop social anxiety from all of these changes and from thinking about how others think of them. I have caught myself in a few times where I over-analyzed what I was wearing because I was pondering about what others may think or say about me. In some cases, the increase in social anxiety for teenagers can possibly be an effect from their brain still developing. Peer approval shows to have a hand in the conversation about the teenage brain. To elaborate, “peer approval has been shown to be highly rewarding to the teenage brain” (Nixon 8). As an illustration, it is scientifically proven that it is a rewarding factor for the teenager, when they are given validation in some way, they tend to change themselves in order to keep that validation from the other individual. Teenagers have always been known to be vain or self-conscious and need recognition from those around them. In my own experience, there were definitely times that I’ve been given a

Depression has been shown to affect teenagers into adulthood. Consequently, “men who'd had an episode of depression had brains that were less responsive to rewards” (Hamilton 5). To further explain, this study has been proven that treating mental illnesses like depression, should be taken more seriously as a teen. Any illness can cause a long-lasting affect on someone but it should be treated more promptly when the brain is still in development and the consequences are less severe. I can say that as a person who had known people to suffer from depression, that even when they are better, it has an affect on them that normally wouldn't have happened if the illness was properly treated at a younger age. It has been proven already that experiences shapes a person and experiencing depression is no exception to that fact. However, teenagers are most vulnerable to risky behaviors in this stage of their life. Furthermore, the development of the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex has been compared to, “the brakes come online somewhat later than the accelerator of the brain” (Nixon 9). To add on, the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system is responsible for the behaviors we represent and has already been proven to affect adolescents in the process of the brain developing. So, what is trying to be said is that this part of the brain can be left behind in the pace of its