By Katelyn Fry
August 29, 2017

Until now, teenage reckless behavior and lack of control has historically been attributed to raging hormones, or more recently, the lack of development in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. But according to new research by neuroscientists at the University of Pennsylvania, there is an entirely different reason for typical adolescent impulsivity. Teens are curious about the world.

Daniel Romer, research director, explains that what we have understood as a “brain deficit” is actually a means of “exploration.” Instead of viewing this curiosity-driven behavior negatively, the study encourages us to see the behavior as a type of trial-and-error, not as dangerous and wrong.

In an article published by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania,  Romer explains further. "What's happening is that adolescents lack experience... so they're trying things out for the first time -- like learning how to drive. They're also trying drugs, deciding what to wear and who to hang out with. For some youth, this leads to problems. But when you're trying things for the first time, you sometimes make mistakes. Researchers have interpreted this as a lack of control when for most youth, it's just exploration."

When teens begin this exploratory phase, they are simply following an innate and natural drive to “gain the experience required to assume adult roles and behavior.” With every interaction and activity they engage in, they are learning something new about themselves and the world they live in. Ultimately, this allows them to “do a better job in making the difficult and risky decisions later in life.”

Of course, this doesn’t mean our adolescent nieces’ and nephews’ curiosity can’t get them into serious trouble. Still, Romer’s findings can put a concerned an aunt’s mind slightly at ease as we try to help them find ways to explore and discover new experiences, safely.


Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. (2017, August 16). Why teens take risks: It's not a deficit in brain development: Beyond stereotypes of adolescent risk taking: Placing the adolescent brain in developmental context. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 29, 2017.

Photo: yanik88