Teenage Brains Run on Raw Emotion
Research explains why that isn’t necessarily a bad thing
Some of the biggest social movements today — including protests for climate change and gun regulation — were sparked by teenagers. And while teens are often belittled as vaping TikTok fanatics, recent research suggests the passion and commitment of adolescent activists such as climate activist Greta Thunberg, Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, and the gun-control crusaders from Parkland, Florida in part reflect the unique nature of the teenage brain.
The idea that human brains don’t fully mature until people are in their early to midtwenties — which has become the consensus belief among scientists over the past 15 years — was initially used to explain all manner of troublesome teen behavior. It provided a biology-based explanation of why adolescents are impulsive, highly emotional, and vulnerable to various forms of addiction.
But more recently, researchers have started to emphasize that those same phases of brain development that may encourage risk-taking behaviors can also drive teens to impressive heights. Channeled wisely, the impulses that emerge from the adolescent brain can be extremely valuable — for the kids, their societies, and perhaps the planet.
