You have probably heard that teenagers tend to be reckless, moody, irresponsible, and prone to making poor decisions. However, the impulsive nature of adolescents’ behavior is not always a bad thing. In fact, this characteristic is beneficial to our development as we transition from childhood to adulthood.

Our brains do not finish developing until we are about 25 years old. This means that teenage brains are still going through a number of changes, many of which can be observed through behavior. Areas of the brain known as “emotion centers” (the limbic system) typically have greater activation, resulting in emotionally-driven decisions. In comparison, the prefrontal cortex, which is in charge of reasoning future events, lags behind in development. Add these two factors together and I present to you the adolescent brain! One notable aspect of teenage behavior is impatience. Because immediate rewards (for example, eating one piece of chocolate now) are perceived to be much more satisfactory than long-term rewards (waiting an hour to get three extra pieces of chocolate), teens are prone to taking risky actions without thinking about their consequences.

Heightened emotions and sensitivity to rewards, however, are not always harmful. Teens’ emotions allow them to better remember negative events and avoid them in the future. In a similar way, positive events help with reinforcing favorable decisions. Additionally, in comparison to adults, people in this age group have greater reward center activation when learning new things. Since teenagers are given more independence as they grow older, their ability to quickly pick up information and new skills serves as an advantage!