Scientists Attempt to Figure Out Why Teenagers are Stupid

• BobYoMeowMeow wrote on 2010-06-03 00:12

  New research from the UK has found that teenagers and young adults find it hard to concentrate because their brains are more similar to those of much younger children than those of mature adults, with more grey matter but lower efficiency. The findings suggest the brain is not fully developed until people reach their late twenties or even early thirties, which is much later than previously thought.
  
  The researchers, Dr Sarah-Jayne Blakemore and colleagues, from the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University College London, used MRI scans to monitor the activity in the brains of 200 volunteers aged between seven and 27 as they tried to run through the alphabet mentally or with letters on a computer screen while simultaneously deciding whether or not the letters contained a curve. At the same time they had to ignore distracting letters without curves.
  
  The results found the human brain continues to develop longer into the teenage years and adulthood than previously believed, with the abilities of the volunteers improving with their age. In the teenagers an unexpectedly high level of activity was observed in the part of the brain known as the prefrontal cortex, which is a region known to be involved in multi-tasking and making decisions. This suggests their brains had to work harder to process the information. The same type of activity was known to occur in the prefrontal cortex in the brains of young children, but was not expected to continue into the teens and beyond.
  
  The researchers said the results indicate the brains of teenagers are working less efficiently than adults’ brains. Dr Blakemore said the part of the brain needed to solve the problem is still developing in the adolescents, and the activity in the prefrontal cortex indicates they are doing a lot of needless work with "chaotic thought patterns".
  
  Blakemore said the research shows “there is simply too much going on in the brains of adolescents” for them to concentrate on the task at hand. That means resources and energy in the brain are wasted, which has a negative effect on decision-making.
  
  The brain’s grey matter consists of the cell bodies and connections that carry messages within the brain. As we age, the amount of grey matter decreases, which Blakemore said means neural transmissions travel more efficiently in adults, and the brain works more effectively.

  
  
  Teenagers cannot concentrate because their brains are undeveloped
  the brain doesnt generally determine how stupid someone can be
  even if this article is true about the brain developing long into adulthood
  
  anyways,
  Colleges are frustrated with the less than capable recruits from high schools.
  that's why the stereotype of college students partying and drinking exists.
• Kayate wrote on 2010-06-03 00:29

  Quote from BobYoMeowMeow;53261:

  Teenagers cannot concentrate because their brains are undeveloped
  the brain doesnt generally determine how stupid someone can be
  even if this article is true about the brain developing long into adulthood
  
  anyways,
  Colleges are frustrated with the less than capable recruits from high schools.
  that's why the stereotype of college students partying and drinking exists.

  
  
  :mad:I take this as an offense were do these scientists live
• Cucurbita wrote on 2010-06-03 00:49

  Quote from BobYoMeowMeow;53261:

  
  that's why the stereotype of college students partying and drinking exists.

  
  
  The stereotype exists because no matter what college you go to, about 4 out of 5 students will drink and party like mad.
  Fact. Been there.
• EndlessDreams wrote on 2010-06-03 01:05

  Quote from BobYoMeowMeow;53261:

  Teenagers cannot concentrate because their brains are undeveloped
  
  Colleges are frustrated with the less than capable recruits from high schools.
  that's why the stereotype of college students partying and drinking exists.

  
  
  But partying and drinking is common in colleges, lol.
• Moppy wrote on 2010-06-03 01:31
  I smart and I find it hard to concentrate.
  
  So screw you science.
  
  :D
• Hiccup wrote on 2010-06-03 02:57
  Your brain doesn't fully develop till around age 25.
• Shirayuki wrote on 2010-06-03 03:08
  Science makes little sense to me sometimes. Make up your minds about brain development and shet.
  
  And, I'm not stupid, yet I'm a teen :D I have a hard time with decisions though...(Pizza or Sammich...HMMMSSZZS)
• Schezo wrote on 2010-06-04 03:49
  Well calling us "stupid" is a rather offensive term! >=[
• Taycat wrote on 2010-06-04 03:55
  I hate science now.
  
  They can all go suck eggs.
• Tomates wrote on 2010-06-04 03:58
  Same here! These scientist have no idea what they're OH MY GOD I SMELL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!
• Cannibal wrote on 2010-06-04 03:59

  Quote from Shirayuki;53437:

  Science makes little sense to me sometimes. Make up your minds about brain development and shet.
  
  And, I'm not stupid, yet I'm a teen :D I have a hard time with decisions though...(Pizza or Sammich...HMMMSSZZS)

  
  AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAFUNNYJOKE.
• Mrlucky77 wrote on 2010-06-04 04:00
  This is so funny.
• Kazuni wrote on 2010-06-04 04:46
  I hate scientists when they make some big show about a new discovery that apparently will define some aspect of a person, then go back on their statement with some other bull that will probably be proven wrong in the future.
  
  Whatever.
• Creampuff wrote on 2010-06-05 03:34
  So where are those studies that are supposed to find if young adults underperform because our brains are still not fully developed or because the majority of us will go out and get unbelievably wasted at some point or another?
  
  If the evidence does overwhemingly support continuing brain development into your late 20's and early 30's, then I don't really see the results of this study as being that farfetched. During that point in your life, you are bing pummeled with a huge number of decisions that need to be made (academic, social, personal etc.), so a little bit of confusion and bad decision is probably inevitable.
  
  Makes for a good start for further reading into the topic though. =) The report does not claim that teenagers are stupid, they just make decisions in a more inefficient manner.
• Forsaken wrote on 2010-06-05 04:03
  I blame Justin Bieber.
  
  If that comes out as the result of this study, I'll marry the head of the research team, no joke.