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Adolescence

Do changes in an adolescent鈥檚 brain explain behavioural turbulence in the teenage years or is adolescence a manufactured concept we鈥檝e invented?

In the West, teenagers are commonly perceived as being volatile, moody and often seen as being 鈥渢rouble鈥. Why? Well, because they are teenagers. All that growing, all those changes. But in recent years scientists have discovered that changes to the brain, which occur during puberty, make young people less able to control their emotions and result in different attitudes towards risk as compared to adults. Can these changes to the brain explain why adolescence can be such a difficult period of our lives? Or is adolescence a manufactured cultural concept we鈥檝e invented?

(Image: Three teenagers smiling. Credit: Think Stock)

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18 minutes

Last on

Mon 10 Feb 2014 09:32GMT

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  • Fri 7 Feb 2014 20:32GMT
  • Sat 8 Feb 2014 14:32GMT
  • Sat 8 Feb 2014 23:32GMT
  • Mon 10 Feb 2014 02:32GMT
  • Mon 10 Feb 2014 09:32GMT

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