I have to say, parts of it trigger my bullshit detector:
The newer explanation is that their brains simply aren’t developed yet: their prefrontal cortex hasn’t converted from gray matter to white matter, their amygdalas have a surfeit of oxytocin receptors, and their reward centers have a paucity of dopamine receptors. Few can say for sure yet how these anatomical features actually interact and create modern teenagers, but the gist of it is quite simple – until their brains are finished, they’re not ready for real life.
“Most parents will tell you that this idea of the immature teen brain is one of the few notions that truly provides them comfort,” says Allen. “They feel like it gets them off the hook – that it’s biological, not a fault of parenting.” But Allen speculates that our parenting style may indeed be causing their brains to be this way. Brains of teens a hundred years ago might have been far more mature.
I mean, maaaaaaybe, but there's a pretty massive burden of proof to be shouldered there - and if he's just speculating with no evidence whatsoever, as he seems to be, then I for one am prepared to fervently disbelieve.
All that said, I do agree with his larger point. High schools are terrible environments which exist purely due to social inertia. And I've long argued that North America should import the UK notion of a "gap year" in the late teens, generally immediately after high school, during which you work or travel or both, and acquire a few life experiences, before commencing the next phase of your life.
no subject
The newer explanation is that their brains simply aren’t developed yet: their prefrontal cortex hasn’t converted from gray matter to white matter, their amygdalas have a surfeit of oxytocin receptors, and their reward centers have a paucity of dopamine receptors. Few can say for sure yet how these anatomical features actually interact and create modern teenagers, but the gist of it is quite simple – until their brains are finished, they’re not ready for real life.
“Most parents will tell you that this idea of the immature teen brain is one of the few notions that truly provides them comfort,” says Allen. “They feel like it gets them off the hook – that it’s biological, not a fault of parenting.” But Allen speculates that our parenting style may indeed be causing their brains to be this way. Brains of teens a hundred years ago might have been far more mature.
I mean, maaaaaaybe, but there's a pretty massive burden of proof to be shouldered there - and if he's just speculating with no evidence whatsoever, as he seems to be, then I for one am prepared to fervently disbelieve.
All that said, I do agree with his larger point. High schools are terrible environments which exist purely due to social inertia. And I've long argued that North America should import the UK notion of a "gap year" in the late teens, generally immediately after high school, during which you work or travel or both, and acquire a few life experiences, before commencing the next phase of your life.