Why Does Growing Up Have To Suck: Part 3

This will be our final installment of the "Growing Up Sucks" series. As I mentioned before, we are going to look at the affects of alcohol on the teenage brain, and also their emotions.

I think it would be hard to find a teenager these days who hasn't tried alcohol in some form. The studies in this report aren't dealing with teenagers who have just "tried" alcohol, these studies are about teens who have abused alcohol. It doesn't say what they drank, or how much. It just said they abused it. Their research shows that alcohol affects teens differently than adults. This makes sense considering, MRI studies have shown their brains are still developing. A study in 2000 showed, even weeks after they quit drinking, fifteen and sixteen year olds still had problems with, memory, judgement and reasoning. Not only do they react differently to the immediate affects of alcohol, the research shows that teens who frequently use alcohol have problems later on in life also.

When it comes teens and their emotions, what is interesting is, that a teens ability to read the facial expressions of others differs from adults also. McLean Hospital in Boston did a study of teenagers between the ages of eleven and seventeen. The teens had their brains scanned and were shown pictures of people wearing fearful expressions. Those under the age of fourteen, saw the expressions as anger, sadness, or confusion instead of fear. Therefore, we can't just assume they understand when other people are afraid, or sad, just by the look on their faces like adults can.

When talking to a teenager, we usually expect them to be able to understand what we're talking about, and it can be very frustrating when they don't. Now that we know there is something going on in their brain that is causing them to not understand, it helps us as adults to realize that we're going to need to take more time with them, and explain ourselves more clearly. I guess, when we see that blank look on their faces, we'll know the wires are still connecting on that topic, and that will be one area that is going to require a little more patience.

This has really been an interesting topic to research, thanks for pursuing our teenagers brains with me.

Paul