The Teenage Brain: A neuroscientist’s survival guide to raising adolescents and young adults
Why is it that the behaviour of teenagers can be so odd? As they grow older, young children steadily improve their sense of how to behave, and then all of a sudden, they can become totally uncommunicative, wildly emotional and completely unpredictable.We used to think that erratic teenage behaviour was due to a sudden surge in hormones, but modern neuroscience shows us that this isn’t true. The Teenage Brain is a journey through the new discoveries that show us exactly what happens to the brain in this crucial period, how it dictates teenagers’ behaviour, and how the experiences of our teenage years are what shape our attitudes, and often our happiness in later life.Many of our ideas about our growing brains are completely re-written. They don’t stop developing at the end of our teens – they keep adapting until we are in our mid-twenties. They are wired back to front, with the most important parts, the parts that we associate with good judgement, concentration, organization and emotional and behavioural control being connected last of all.The Teenage brain is a powerful animal primed for learning, but this creates problems. Addiction is a form of learning, and Frances Jensen, Professor of Pediatric Neurology at the teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School reveals exactly what lies behind all aspects of teenage behaviour and its lasting effects – from drugs, lack of sleep and smoking to multi-tasking and stress.As a mother and a scientist, Professor Jensen offers both exciting science and practical suggestions for how parents, teens and schools can help teenagers weather the storms of adolescence, and get the most out of their incredible brains.
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This book is designed to give information on various medical conditions, treatments, and procedures for your personal knowledge and to help you be a more informed consumer of medical and health services. It is not intended to be complete or exhaustive, nor is it a substitute for the advice of your doctor. You should seek medical care promptly for any specific medical condition or problem you may have. All efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this book as of the date published. The authors and the publisher expressly disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects arising from the use or application of the information contained herein.
HarperThorsons
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublisher 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF
First published in the US by HarperCollinsPublishers 2015 The edition published by HarperThorsons 2015
Designed by Jo Anne Metsch
© Frances E. Jensen with Amy Ellis Nutt 2015
The authors assert the moral right to be identified as the authors of this work
A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library
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Source ISBN: 9780007448319
Ebook Edition © December 2014 ISBN: 9780007448326 Version: 2014-12-15
This book is dedicated to my two sons, Andrew and Will. Watching them grow into young men as they emerged through their teen years has been the joy of my life, and shepherding them through this time was probably the most important job of my life. Together we went on a journey, and as much as I taught them, they taught me. The product is this book, and I hope that it informs not only those people helping to raise adolescents, but also the teenagers themselves.
When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished by how much he’d learned in seven years.
—MARK TWAIN
I would that there were no age between sixteen and three-and-twenty, or that youth would sleep out the rest, for there is nothing in the between but getting wenches with child, wronging the ancientry, stealing, fighting …
—THE WINTER’S TALE, WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Contents
Copyright
List of Illustrations
Introduction: Being Teen
1 Entering the Teen Years
2 Building a Brain
3 Under the Microscope
4 Learning: A Job for the Teen Brain
5 Sleep
6 Taking Risks
7 Tobacco
8 Alcohol
9 Pot
10 Hard-Core Drugs
11 Stress
12 Mental Illness
13 The Digital Invasion of the Teenage Brain
14 Gender Matters
15 Sports and Concussions
16 Crime and Punishment
17 Beyond Adolescence: It’s Not Over Yet
Postscript: Final Thoughts
Glossary
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Resources
List of Seacrhable Terms
Acknowledgements
About the Authors
| FIG. 1 | The Basics of Brain Structure (Brain images courtesy of and with permission from John Detre, MD, and Paul Yushkevich, PhD, University of Pennsylvania). |
| FIG. 2 | The “Homunculus” (Artwork by Mary A. Leonard, Biomedical Art and Design, University of Pennsylvania. Brain image courtesy of and with permission from John Detre, MD, and Paul Yushkevich, PhD, University of Pennsylvania). |
| FIG. 3 | The Lobes of the Brain (Created by the author, artwork adapted by Mary A. Leonard, Biomedical Art and Design, University of Pennsylvania. Brain image courtesy of and with permission from John Detre, MD, and Paul Yushkevich, PhD, University of Pennsylvania). |
| FIG. 4 | Maturing Brain: The Brain “Connects” from Back to Front (A, C: Reprinted from N. Gogtay et al., “Dynamic Mapping of Human Cortical Development During Childhood Through Early Adulthood,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 101, no. 21 [May 25, 2004], 8174–79, copyright 2004 National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A. B: Brain image courtesy of and with permission from John Detre, MD, and Paul Yushkevich, PhD, University of Pennsylvania). |
| FIG. 5 | Multitasking Is Still Not Perfect in the Teen Brain (With kind permission from Springer Science and Business Media and the author: M. Naveh-Benjamin et al., “Concurrent Task Effects on Memory Encoding and Retrieval: Further Support for an Asymmetry,” |
