Five Fun Facts About Your Adolescent’s Brain

Adolescence—that developmental period bridging childhood and young adulthood–is a notoriously challenging time.  Your child is changing in ways both familiar and unfamiliar, and their growing brains may be responsible for many of those changes. The good news is that by learning about what’s happening inside their own brains, adolescents can grow stronger and tap into lots of great learning opportunities. Drs. Joann and Terrence Deak seek to help adolescents harness their changing brains to  put forward the best versions of themselves in their book, The Owner’s Manual for Driving Your Adolescent Brain. Here are  five fun facts about your child’s brain from the Deaks’ clever and informative guide! 

Fun Fact #1: Drama is normal.

The intensity that often accompanies adolescent friendships and relationships is not your teen being dramatic!  It is a natural result of the changes taking place in their developing brain.  According to the Deaks’ book, adolescent bodies are preparing for adult social interactions and relationships—the intensity is just part of the process.  So, relax.  This is normal and, it, too, will pass.

Fun Fact #2: Mistakes are good for the brain!

We all shy away from making mistakes, and adolescents are no different. However, struggling to learn something complicated strengthens the neural pathways needed to get it done.  Mistakes are part of the process!

Fun Fact #3: The sleep debt is real!

Don’t get frustrated if your adolescent wants to sleep in every weekend.  Staying up late and waking up early  may cause adolescents to develop a sleep debt.  Sleeping late on the weekends is their brain’s way of paying back this debt.

Fun Fact #4: They can produce more neurotrophins.

Are you having a difficult time encouraging your adolescent to try new things?  We know new experiences are good for us. Here’s why: New experiences help their brains produce more neurotrophins.

Neurotrophins are proteins produced by glia cells (cells in the brain and spinal cord that provide support for neurons by clearing waste generated by neurons, supporting healthy neurons and supporting axons).  They act like fertilizer for the brain, stimulating neurogenesis and increasing brain power.  New experiences can literally make their brains stronger!

Fun Fact #5: They can strengthen their brains!

Adolescence is a perfect time to strengthen neural pathways.  The skills your adolescent uses most frequently will become hardwired into the very structure of their brain, while the least-used pathways diminish in strength. So, even if a task like learning to play a new instrument is difficult, encourage your teen to stick with it.  Not only will they develop a new skill, but their brain will literally grow stronger and this strength will remain throughout their life.