Yesterday I blogged about the changes in the adolescent brain that have significant impact on the risk taking behaviors we see in today's teens. I know I see these kinds of behaviors but I have frequently wondered if they are cultural. This article addresses this issue. The author cites examples from different cultures and different time periods where the same types of behaviors are being seen. This leads one to understand that these reactions are really physically not cultural. The authors also discuss that it may be that it is just this risk taking that allows the different cultures to expand and continue and grow.
It is this "impulsiveness" or thrill seeking behaviors that get adolescents out of the house and into new areas. It is the ability for the reward to outweigh the risk that has given humans an "adaptive edge". Dobbs talks about the brains sensitivity to dopamine aiding in "leaning patterns" and making decisions. It also accounts for the "keen and sometimes melodramatic reaction to success as well as defeat". In the same way he addresses the chemical oxytocin which makes "social connections more rewarding". Therefore in adolescence we see a gradual shift from family interactions being replaced by peer relationships. This helps these new cultural leaders to "invest in the future rather than the past". It is not uncommon for parents and other to tell me that their teen is "Bipolar" because of the extreme fluctuations in mood. Dobbs relates that peer relations become the "main show". When teens feel rejection it feels like a threat to existence and it kind of is. I find it Interesting to understand that this is physiological. All of these reactions are to prepare the teen to leave the safety of the "nest" and to venture out into the world, to take risks and to forge a new world.
Finally Dobbs talks about how slow this process is and it starts with the language center and the last parts of the brain to be restructured are the frontal areas responsible for more complex thinking. He reports that this is last for a reason; once these frontal areas have been restructured it is more difficult to change. (Maybe why sometimes I feel stuck.) Therefore, this allows young adults to enter the adult world still with flexibility. He ends by stating "It can seem a bit crazy that we humans don't wise up a bit earlier in life. But if we smartened up sooner, we'd end up dumber."
All of this helps me to understand how normal and crucial this is to the success of our culture. It helps me take a second look at things that are more difficult for me to accept and understand. It makes me wonder how much of this is at play with current protest on Wall Street in these times among other things. This is just a very brief overview to a very interesting article. If you are interested please read his entire article in National Geographic for October 2011. Thanks. Sherri
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