Response to “Beautiful Brains”

David Dobbs, an accomplished writer and common author for The New York Times Magazine, National Geographic, and the Atlantic, really takes an in depth look at the teenage brain and mind in his piece “Beautiful Brains.”  He leads off by introducing a situation that he had to deal with regarding his son.  Dobbs recalls the time that he received a phone call from his son who was in prison for reckless driving, and although he was willing to accept the charges and understood his misdoings while speeding, his son did not enjoy the title of being a “reckless driver” placed on him.  This got Dobbs to thinking and leads into his main point which deals with the conflict that teenagers face in which they knowingly understand the risks they take, yet do them anyway.  The essay overall is a large psychological review of the teen brain verse an adult one and the differences in the two.  In reviewing a study done by University of Pittsburgh professor Beatriz Luna, where children, adolescents, and adults were told to resist the urge to look at a blinking light, it is noted that teens, “…used certain areas of the brain less often than adults and more readily gave in to the impulse to look at the flickering light…” (159).  However when a reward is offered for their efforts they more readily use these areas and will score higher.  Dobbs uses this to explain the reason as to why teens moods and behaviors are often inconsistent throughout the day and vary over time.  He explains how risk taking will often increase in teens and adolescents that can affect them later in life, and uses examples, such as, alcohol experimentation and drug use.  But contrary to what people may think teens actually understand these risks fully and just as much as adults do, but the reason as to why they do it is because “…they value the reward more heavily than adults do.” (162).  Whereas adults won’t change their habits or try to impress their friends while they’re in their presence, teens do, and this is where the trouble branches from.  Teens want to look cooler and better than the people they’re with and therefore make stupid decisions in the process.  While they do enjoy trying to impress their friends, they find equally important the information and experiences that their parents have to share with them, and that’s why it’s important that parents talk to their kids to help improve their brain development.  In his closing Dobbs leaves his reader with a request to take advantage of the prolonged development of the frontal lobe region  “…when a brain area lays down myelin a sort of crucial period of learning…” (166).  That it’s better off that we don’t smarten up sooner in life because if we did then we would “…end up dumber.” (166).

I found Dobbs’ essay to be very interesting and I was able to learn a great deal from it.  I always knew that the teen and early adult brain was still developing, just not the the degree in which he explains in his piece.  When reading about the case study where Beatriz Luna reviewed whether or not teens would be able to resist the urge to look at the flashing light I began to think about myself.  I wondered if I was given this take if I would attempt to look at it or not.  Then on the topic of how teens are often more likely trying to impress their peers while in their presence I began to review my own driving habits.  Thinking about whether or not I’m found speeding more and driving recklessly when I’m in the car with my friends verses my parents or family.  That I shouldn’t really have to prove anything to them and try to impress them because they’re already my friends and I shouldn’t risk their or my life just to gain some extra brownie points.  Overall the essay was very informative and helpful in understanding why some of my peers act the way they do and do the things they do.  That maybe my front lobes are developing more rapidly than their’s are and it’s not so much that they’re acting foolishly for no reason, but simply because their brains are still developing and need to get some last minute immaturity out of their system before that becomes a wrongdoing.   That I shouldn’t be so critical of my peers, and should learn to be more accepting of their acts…to a degree of course though.