Trying to find out why adolescence take more risks than adults has plagued the research community for years. The common theory that adolescents engage in risky behavior because of irrationality, ignorance, and fantasies of immunity may not be true. This article examined the developmental neuroscience behind risk taking behavior.
It is no secret that adolescents and college-age people take more risks than adults or children do, based on statistics about binge drinking, unprotected sex and automobile accidents. There are numerous theories as to why adolescent risk taking is so high compared to any other period of development. One theory that based on evidence from developmental neuroscience is that heightened risk taking behaviors is the result of an interaction between two brain networks.
The first network, the socioemotional network of the brain is remolded during puberty and is sensitive to social and emotional stimuli. It also plays a role in forward processing. The second network, the cognitive-control network, develops overtime and plays a role in functions such as thinking ahead, planning, and self-regulation. These two networks of the brain compete when an adolescent is engaging in risk taking behavior. The socioemotional network because more controlling when an individual reaches puberty and the cognitive-control network does not have as much power. When individuals are alone and the socioemotional network is not as stimulated the cognitive-control network can assert more control over things such as impulsive risk taking behavior. Whereas when an individual is in the presence of peers and the socioemotional network is being stimulated the cognitive-control network can not be as effective in controlling impulsive risk taking behavior. As the individual matures from adolescence to adulthood this scenario tends to occur less because the cognitive-control network is also maturing.
The increase is risk taking behavior in adolescence could be explained by the two networks in the brain based on the fact that most adolescents tend to spend most of their time with their peers which stimulate the socioemotional network. The presence of peers has no effect on adults when it comes to risk taking behavior and only moderately effects college-age individuals. When teenagers were studied using a video driving game to assess risk taking behavior, the number of risks and adolescent took doubled in the presence of peers, but had no effect on adults. The article suggested that adolescents tend to recruit the cognitive-control network less than adults and there is not as much cross talk between brain regions as there is in adults. This results in adolescents acting without thinking or thinking too much when they should be relying on gut feeling.
To help combat the increase risk taking behavior in adolescents the article suggests limiting adolescents’ opportunities for immature judgment that have harmful consequences. Instead of trying to change how adolescents view risky behavior, implementing strategies such as raising the driving age, increasing the tax on cigarettes, and vigilantly enforcing laws on the sale of alcohol. Increase risk taking during adolescents is going to happen, so limiting the opportunities for it to occur is the best way to deal with it.
After reading this article I can see how the biological aspects of the brain can play a role in the increased risk taking behavior of adolescents. The article mentioned that providing teenagers with information about risky behavior changes their thinking, but rarely changes their behavior. Programs such as DARE and driver’s education classes have been around for decades but have yet to decrease adolescent risk taking behavior. The way to change adolescent behavior and behavior in general is to manipulate the environment in which the behavior occurs. If a teenage can’t get their driver license until a later age, the cognitive-control network has had time to mature and can help to better regulate risk taking behavior. Teenagers are aware of the risks when it comes to driving recklessly but have an inability to delay the reinforcement they get from taking that risk especially when peers are around. Peer pressure and the need to fit in during adolescents sets the ground work for an increase in risk taking behaviors.
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