Weird News

[footfootfoot]

Hell yes. It's obvious that the job of a parent isn't over at 18. There is no 'child safety cap' for teenage activities other than vigilant and involved parents. I've read that the human brain isn't fully developed in the decision making areas until about the age of 25. I'd be willing to bet that 20,000 years ago (and earlier, obviously) lackadaisical parenting led to the culling of the herd with those types of parenting approaches. Now we have a whole new set of concerns to take the place of cougars, dire wolves, and other dangerous beasties.

It is sad.

The frontal lobes of the brain have been implicated in behavioral inhibition, the ability to control emotions and impulses. The frontal lobes are also thought to be the place where decisions about right and wrong, as well as cause-effect relationships are processed. In contrast, the amygdala is part of the limbic system of the brain and is involved in instinctive “gut” reactions, including “fight or flight” responses. Lower activity in the frontal lobe could lead to poor control over behavior and emotions, while an overactive amygdala may be associated with high levels of emotional arousal and reactionary decision-making.
The results from the McLean study suggest that while adults can to use rational decision making processes when facing emotional decisions, adolescent brains are simply not yet equipped to think through things in the same way. For example, when deciding whether to ride in a car driven by a drunk friend, an adult can usually put aside her desire to conform and is more likely to make the rational decision against drunk driving. However, a teenager’s immature frontal lobes may not be capable of such a coolly rational approach, and the emotional feelings of friendship may be likely to win the battle. As Dr. Yurgelun-Todd told U.S. News, “Good judgment is learned, but you can’t learn it if you don’t have the necessary hardware.”