All the seemingly crazy behaviors of teenagers, they aren’t just there to annoy parents – they might serve a real evolutionary purpose.

Not only are the brains of teenagers still developing, but different regions of the brain are changing at different rates, with important consequences.

Adriana Galván, associate professor of Psychology at UCLA and director of the UCLA Developmental Neuroscience Lab, has found that teen behaviors like risk-seeking and display of strong #emotions are actually adaptive traits that help teens succeed.

Galván’s research has found that not only are teens more sensitive to rewards than adults, this makes them better learners – better, even, than adults.

🤓 Learn more about Galván’s research and recent advances in our understanding of the teenage brain: http://bit.ly/2kdZ6DW

00:00 — It's not easy being a teenager
00:22 — When the brain completes the adolescent phase
00:43 — The prefrontal cortex
01:00 — The limbic system
01:38 — The striatum
02:39 — Teenage risk-taking

▶️ How Power Makes People Selfish: https://youtu.be/0vvl46PmCfE

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#teenager #teens #brain #psychology #ucla #neuroscience