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A review by bookph1le
The Teenage Brain by Amy Nutt, Frances E. Jensen
5.0
Extremely interesting, but a bit repetitive at times. More complete review to come.
Full review:
For several years now, I've been aware of research showing that teenagers' brains are wired differently than adult brains. This research shows that teenagers don't process risk the same way adult brains do, and that teenagers' sleep cycles work differently. As a former teacher, I found this information important, a means of better understanding my students. As a parent I find it critical. Better understanding what's going on in my kids' heads will help me to respond in a more effective manner--and that's the crux of the matter, for me.
Despite this evidence, little has changed about the way we treat teenagers, to the detriment of everyone. Since teenagers are our future leaders, it's imperative that we use what we've learned about brain functioning to better provide the tools teenagers need to be successful. We have enormous respect for child development studies and use them to inform many of our views and policies, yet we ignore what we've learned about adolescent development. If you're a parent looking for a place to start, this book is an excellent resource.
My one real critique of this book is that it's repetitive at times, and the author tends to be more emphatic than is strictly necessary. The information she provides is eye-opening without needing to be repeated. It's also a pretty dense book. That was okay for me as I'm interested in the hard science behind studies. I wouldn't say the book is incomprehensible to a layperson like me, but I can see how it would be a bit thick if someone was just looking for some explanation and advice without wanting to dive into the complicated science of the brain.
That aside, this book is one that anyone who deals with teenagers would benefit from reading. If I can summarize in one sentence, it would be this: the actions of teenagers often seem so inexplicable to adults because they are--teenagers don't think the way adults do. Instead of blaming this on their hormones, we need to understand that it's due to the way their brains work, as Jensen points out. I don't mean to suggest that teenagers shouldn't be held accountable for their actions, and I didn't get the impression this is what Jensen is saying either, but it is important to understand that we tend to blame them for things that are physically beyond their control. How can you penalize someone for failing to assess risk when their brain function makes it extremely difficult for them to assess that risk? Punishing teenagers as we punish adults simply doesn't make sense because we're dealing with two distinctly different situations. Jensen doesn't get a lot into the law side of things, but she does point out that legal standards are different for people with mental impairments, yet teenagers, whose brains are different from adult brains, are expected to behave as a responsible and law-abiding adult would. It's not a realistic expectation.
Jensen also delves into the topic of sleep, something I think doesn't get nearly enough attention. Because of the changes adolescents undergo as they transition from childhood, their sleep cycles become vastly different from those of children or adults. This is why teenagers tend to stay up so late. The science behind it, Jensen explains, has to do with brain chemistry. Melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone, isn't released in a teenager's brain until two hours later than in an adult's brain, and it lasts longer, making it harder for teenagers to wake up.
I've long been interested in this research because, as a former high school teacher, I was a first-hand witness to how difficult it was for my students to stay awake during those early classes. I can't overstate the effect this has on education. The CDC recommends that teenagers get 8.5 to 9 hours of sleep a night, but they can't get to sleep until late. Then they're forced to rise sometime around 6 to prepare for the typical American school day. This means that American teens are suffering from chronic sleep deprivation. As Jensen says, only about 15 percent of teens get the amount of sleep they need each night. Sleep is essential to learning because the brain uses that time to strengthen memories and to organize them in order of emotional performance. Jensen cites experiments in Minnesota, where pushing the start time of the school day back by 70 minutes led to a statistically significant effect on grades. In Jessamine County, Kentucky, moving the start of the school day back by an hour improved attendance and standardized test scores. In this day and age, when we're so obsessed with student performance and test scores, altering the school day seems like a no-brainer (pun intended), and yet there continues to be stubborn resistance to the idea.
Especially scary for me, as a parents, were the sections in which Jensen delves into why risky sexual behaviors and the use of alcohol and drugs are particularly appealing and dangerous for teenagers. Again, it has to do with brain chemistry and the effects addictive substances have on a teenager's brain. Early use of alcohol and drugs has been linked with a quicker descent into addiction and life-long brain effects. Since a teenager's brain is wired in such a way that makes the effects of these substances stronger on them, their use of drugs and alcohol is far different from an adult's use. Jensen also cites studies that show that these substances may rewire a teenager's brain, permanently altering its pathways. Obviously it's not a good thing for a person of any age to become a substance abuser, but I think it's important for people to understand how much more pernicious the effects are on teenagers.
I would recommend this book to any parent because it will help you to become both more informed and better prepared to help your child through the struggles of the teenage years. Educators would definitely benefit from reading it as well, along with anyone who has regular contact with teenagers. I think Jensen has done a great thing by publishing this book. Hopefully, as more and more scientists speak out and raise public awareness, we'll start looking at adolescence as a distinct developmental age, just as we do with childhood.
Full review:
For several years now, I've been aware of research showing that teenagers' brains are wired differently than adult brains. This research shows that teenagers don't process risk the same way adult brains do, and that teenagers' sleep cycles work differently. As a former teacher, I found this information important, a means of better understanding my students. As a parent I find it critical. Better understanding what's going on in my kids' heads will help me to respond in a more effective manner--and that's the crux of the matter, for me.
Despite this evidence, little has changed about the way we treat teenagers, to the detriment of everyone. Since teenagers are our future leaders, it's imperative that we use what we've learned about brain functioning to better provide the tools teenagers need to be successful. We have enormous respect for child development studies and use them to inform many of our views and policies, yet we ignore what we've learned about adolescent development. If you're a parent looking for a place to start, this book is an excellent resource.
My one real critique of this book is that it's repetitive at times, and the author tends to be more emphatic than is strictly necessary. The information she provides is eye-opening without needing to be repeated. It's also a pretty dense book. That was okay for me as I'm interested in the hard science behind studies. I wouldn't say the book is incomprehensible to a layperson like me, but I can see how it would be a bit thick if someone was just looking for some explanation and advice without wanting to dive into the complicated science of the brain.
That aside, this book is one that anyone who deals with teenagers would benefit from reading. If I can summarize in one sentence, it would be this: the actions of teenagers often seem so inexplicable to adults because they are--teenagers don't think the way adults do. Instead of blaming this on their hormones, we need to understand that it's due to the way their brains work, as Jensen points out. I don't mean to suggest that teenagers shouldn't be held accountable for their actions, and I didn't get the impression this is what Jensen is saying either, but it is important to understand that we tend to blame them for things that are physically beyond their control. How can you penalize someone for failing to assess risk when their brain function makes it extremely difficult for them to assess that risk? Punishing teenagers as we punish adults simply doesn't make sense because we're dealing with two distinctly different situations. Jensen doesn't get a lot into the law side of things, but she does point out that legal standards are different for people with mental impairments, yet teenagers, whose brains are different from adult brains, are expected to behave as a responsible and law-abiding adult would. It's not a realistic expectation.
Jensen also delves into the topic of sleep, something I think doesn't get nearly enough attention. Because of the changes adolescents undergo as they transition from childhood, their sleep cycles become vastly different from those of children or adults. This is why teenagers tend to stay up so late. The science behind it, Jensen explains, has to do with brain chemistry. Melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone, isn't released in a teenager's brain until two hours later than in an adult's brain, and it lasts longer, making it harder for teenagers to wake up.
I've long been interested in this research because, as a former high school teacher, I was a first-hand witness to how difficult it was for my students to stay awake during those early classes. I can't overstate the effect this has on education. The CDC recommends that teenagers get 8.5 to 9 hours of sleep a night, but they can't get to sleep until late. Then they're forced to rise sometime around 6 to prepare for the typical American school day. This means that American teens are suffering from chronic sleep deprivation. As Jensen says, only about 15 percent of teens get the amount of sleep they need each night. Sleep is essential to learning because the brain uses that time to strengthen memories and to organize them in order of emotional performance. Jensen cites experiments in Minnesota, where pushing the start time of the school day back by 70 minutes led to a statistically significant effect on grades. In Jessamine County, Kentucky, moving the start of the school day back by an hour improved attendance and standardized test scores. In this day and age, when we're so obsessed with student performance and test scores, altering the school day seems like a no-brainer (pun intended), and yet there continues to be stubborn resistance to the idea.
Especially scary for me, as a parents, were the sections in which Jensen delves into why risky sexual behaviors and the use of alcohol and drugs are particularly appealing and dangerous for teenagers. Again, it has to do with brain chemistry and the effects addictive substances have on a teenager's brain. Early use of alcohol and drugs has been linked with a quicker descent into addiction and life-long brain effects. Since a teenager's brain is wired in such a way that makes the effects of these substances stronger on them, their use of drugs and alcohol is far different from an adult's use. Jensen also cites studies that show that these substances may rewire a teenager's brain, permanently altering its pathways. Obviously it's not a good thing for a person of any age to become a substance abuser, but I think it's important for people to understand how much more pernicious the effects are on teenagers.
I would recommend this book to any parent because it will help you to become both more informed and better prepared to help your child through the struggles of the teenage years. Educators would definitely benefit from reading it as well, along with anyone who has regular contact with teenagers. I think Jensen has done a great thing by publishing this book. Hopefully, as more and more scientists speak out and raise public awareness, we'll start looking at adolescence as a distinct developmental age, just as we do with childhood.