wasdriving.
"Iguessthat'swhatIwantyoutoknow.Ifit
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BeautifulBrains
Moody.Impulsive.Maddening.Whydo
teenagersactthewaytheydo?Viewedthrough
theeyesofevolution,theirmostexasperating
traitsmaybethekeytosuccessasadults.
ByDavidDobbs
1.Althoughyouknowyourteenagertakes
somechances,itcanbeashocktohearabout
them.
2.OnefineMaymorningnotlongagomyoldest
son,17atthetime,phonedtotellmethathehad
justspentacouplehoursatthestatepolice
barracks.Apparentlyhehadbeendriving"alittle
fast."What,Iasked,was"alittlefast"?Turnsout
thisproductofmygenesandlovingcare,the
boymanIhadswaddled,coddled,cooedat,and
thenpushedandpulledtothebrinkofmanhood,
hadbeenflyingdownthehighwayat113miles
anhour.
3."That'smorethanalittlefast,"Isaid.
Heagreed.Infact,hesoundedsomberand
contrite.HedidnotobjectwhenItoldhimhe'd
havetopaythefinesandprobablyforalawyer.
HedidnotarguewhenIpointedoutthatif
anythinghappensatthatspeedadoginthe
road,ablowntire,asneezehedies.Hewasin
factalmostirritatinglyreasonable.Heeven
profferedthatthecopdidtherightthingin
stoppinghim,for,asheputit,"Wecan'tallgo
arounddoing113."
4.Hedid,however,objecttoonething.He
didn'tlikeitthatoneoftheseveralcitationshe
receivedwasforrecklessdriving.
"Well,"Ihuffed,sensinganopportunityto
finallyyellathim,"whatwouldyoucallit?"
"It'sjustnotaccurate,"hesaidcalmly.
"'Reckless'soundslikeyou'renotpaying
attention.ButIwas.Imadeadeliberatepointof
doingthisonanemptystretchofdryinterstate,
inbroaddaylight,withgoodsightlinesandno
traffic.Imean,Iwasn'tjustgunningthething.I
makesyoufeelanybetter,Iwasreallyfocused."
Actually,itdidmakemefeelbetter.That
botheredme,forIdidn'tunderstandwhy.NowI
do.
Myson'shighspeedadventureraisedthe
questionlongaskedbypeoplewhohave
ponderedtheclassofhumanswecallteenagers:
WhatonEarthwashedoing?Parentsoften
phrasethisquestionmorecolorfully.Scientists
putitmorecoolly.Theyask,Whatcanexplain
thisbehavior?Buteventhatisjustanotherway
ofwondering,Whatiswrongwiththesekids?
Whydotheyactthisway?Thequestionpasses
judgmentevenasitinquires.
5.Throughtheages,mostanswershavecited
darkforcesthatuniquelyaffecttheteen.
Aristotleconcludedmorethan2,300yearsago
that"theyoungareheatedbyNatureasdrunken
menbywine."AshepherdinWilliam
Shakespeare'sTheWinter'sTalewishes"there
werenoagebetweentenandthreeandtwenty,
orthatyouthwouldsleepouttherest;forthereis
nothinginthebetweenbutgettingwencheswith
child,wrongingtheancientry,stealing,fighting."
Hislamentcolorsmostmodernscientific
inquiriesaswell.G.StanleyHall,who
formalizedadolescentstudieswithhis1904
Adolescence:ItsPsychologyandItsRelationsto
Physiology,Anthropology,Sociology,Sex,
Crime,ReligionandEducation,believedthis
periodof"stormandstress"replicatedearlier,
lesscivilizedstagesofhumandevelopment.
Freudsawadolescenceasanexpressionof
torturouspsychosexualconflict;ErikErikson,as
themosttumultuousoflife'sseveralidentity
crises.Adolescence:alwaysaproblem.
Suchthinkingcarriedintothelate20thcentury,
whenresearchersdevelopedbrainimaging
technologythatenabledthemtoseetheteen
braininenoughdetailtotrackbothitsphysical
developmentanditspatternsofactivity.These
imagingtoolsofferedanewwaytoaskthesame
questionWhat'swrongwiththesekids?and
revealedananswerthatsurprisedalmost
everyone.Ourbrains,itturnedout,takemuch
longertodevelopthanwehadthought.This
revelationsuggestedbothasimplistic,
unflatteringexplanationforteens'maddening
behaviorandamorecomplex,affirmative
explanationaswell.
Thefirstfullseriesofscansofthedeveloping
adolescentbrainaNationalInstitutesofHealth
(NIH)projectthatstudiedoverahundredyoung
peopleastheygrewupduringthe1990s
showedthatourbrainsundergoamassive
reorganizationbetweenour12thand25thyears.
Thebraindoesn'tactuallygrowverymuch
duringthisperiod.Ithasalreadyreached90
percentofitsfullsizebythetimeapersonissix,
andathickeningskullaccountsformosthead
growthafterward.Butaswemovethrough
adolescence,thebrainundergoesextensive
remodeling,resemblinganetworkandwiring
upgrade.
Forstarters,thebrain'saxonsthelongnerve
fibersthatneuronsusetosendsignalstoother
neuronsbecomegraduallymoreinsulatedwith
afattysubstancecalledmyelin(thebrain'swhite
matter),eventuallyboostingtheaxons'
transmissionspeeduptoahundredtimes.
Meanwhile,dendrites,thebranchlikeextensions
thatneuronsusetoreceivesignalsfromnearby
axons,growtwiggier,andthemostheavilyused
synapsesthelittlechemicaljuncturesacross
whichaxonsanddendritespassnotesgrow
richerandstronger.Atthesametime,synapses
thatseelittleusebegintowither.Thissynaptic
pruning,asitiscalled,causesthebrain'scortex
theouterlayerofgraymatterwherewedo
muchofourconsciousandcomplicatedthinking
tobecomethinnerbutmoreefficient.Taken
together,thesechangesmaketheentirebraina
muchfasterandmoresophisticatedorgan.
Thisprocessofmaturation,oncethoughttobe
largelyfinishedbyelementaryschool,continues
throughoutadolescence.Imagingworkdone
sincethe1990sshowsthatthesephysical
changesmoveinaslowwavefromthebrain's
reartoitsfront,fromareasclosetothebrain
stemthatlookafterolderandmorebehaviorally
basicfunctions,suchasvision,movement,and
fundamentalprocessing,totheevolutionarily
newerandmorecomplicatedthinkingareasup
front.Thecorpuscallosum,whichconnectsthe
brain'sleftandrighthemispheresandcarries
trafficessentialtomanyadvancedbrain
functions,steadilythickens.Strongerlinksalso
developbetweenthehippocampus,asortof
memorydirectory,andfrontalareasthatset
goalsandweighdifferentagendas;asaresult,
wegetbetteratintegratingmemoryand
experienceintoourdecisions.Atthesametime,
thefrontalareasdevelopgreaterspeedandricher
connections,allowingustogenerateandweigh
farmorevariablesandagendasthanbefore.
Whenthisdevelopmentproceedsnormally,we
getbetteratbalancingimpulse,desire,goals,
selfinterest,rules,ethics,andevenaltruism,
generatingbehaviorthatismorecomplexand,
sometimesatleast,moresensible.Butattimes,
andespeciallyatfirst,thebraindoesthiswork
clumsily.It'shardtogetallthosenewcogsto
mesh.
BeatrizLuna,aUniversityofPittsburgh
professorofpsychiatrywhousesneuroimaging
tostudytheteenbrain,usedasimpletestthat
illustratesthislearningcurve.Lunascannedthe
brainsofchildren,teens,andtwentysomethings
whiletheyperformedanantisaccadetask,asort
ofeyesonlyvideogamewhereyouhavetostop
yourselffromlookingatasuddenlyappearing
light.Youviewascreenonwhichthered
crosshairsatthecenteroccasionallydisappear
justasalightflickerselsewhereonthescreen.
Yourinstructionsaretonotlookatthelightand
insteadtolookintheoppositedirection.A
sensordetectsanyeyemovement.It'satough
assignment,sinceflickeringlightsnaturallydraw
ourattention.Tosucceed,youmustoverride
bothanormalimpulsetoattendtonew
informationandcuriosityaboutsomething
forbidden.Braingeekscallthisresponse
inhibition.
Tenyearoldsstinkatit,failingabout45percent
ofthetime.Teensdomuchbetter.Infact,byage
15theycanscoreaswellasadultsifthey're
motivated,resistingtemptationabout70to80
percentofthetime.WhatLunafoundmost
interesting,however,wasnotthosescores.Itwas
thebrainscansshetookwhilepeopletookthe
test.Comparedwithadults,teenstendedtomake
lessuseofbrainregionsthatmonitor
performance,spoterrors,plan,andstayfocused
areastheadultsseemedtobringonline
automatically.Thislettheadultsuseavarietyof
brainresourcesandbetterresisttemptation,
whiletheteensusedthoseareaslessoftenand
morereadilygaveintotheimpulsetolookatthe
flickeringlightjustasthey'remorelikelyto
lookawayfromtheroadtoreadatextmessage.
Ifofferedanextrareward,however,teens
showedtheycouldpushthoseexecutiveregions
toworkharder,improvingtheirscores.Andby
age20,theirbrainsrespondtothistaskmuchas
theadults'do.Lunasuspectstheimprovement
comesasrichernetworksandfasterconnections
maketheexecutiveregionmoreeffective.
Thesestudieshelpexplainwhyteensbehave wenoticemostbecausetheyannoyusorputour
withsuchvexinginconsistency:beguilingat childrenindanger.AsB.J.Casey,a
breakfast,disgustingatdinner;masterfulon neuroscientistatWeillCornellMedicalCollege
Monday,sleepwalkingonSaturday.Alongwith whohasspentnearlyadecadeapplyingbrain
lackingexperiencegenerally,they'restill andgeneticstudiestoourunderstandingof
learningtousetheirbrain'snewnetworks. adolescence,putsit,"We'resousedtoseeing
Stress,fatigue,orchallengescancauseamisfire. adolescenceasaproblem.Butthemorewelearn
AbigailBaird,aVassarpsychologistwhostudies aboutwhatreallymakesthisperiodunique,the
teens,callsthisneuralgawkinessanequivalent moreadolescencestartstoseemlikeahighly
tothephysicalawkwardnessteenssometimes functional,evenadaptiveperiod.It'sexactly
displaywhilemasteringtheirgrowingbodies. whatyou'dneedtodothethingsyouhavetodo
Theslowandunevendevelopmentalarcrevealed then."
bytheseimagingstudiesoffersanalluringly Toseepastthedistracting,dopeyteenagerand
pithyexplanationforwhyteensmaydostupid glimpsetheadaptiveadolescentwithin,we
thingslikedriveat113milesanhour,aggrieve shouldlooknotatspecific,sometimesstartling,
theirancientry,andgetpeople(orgetgotten) behaviors,suchasskateboardingdownstairways
withchild:Theyactthatwaybecausetheir ordatingfastcompany,butatthebroadertraits
brainsaren'tdone!Youcanseeitrighttherein thatunderliethoseacts.
thescans! Let'sstartwiththeteen'sloveofthethrill.Weall
Thisview,astitlesfromtheexplosionof likenewandexcitingthings,butwenevervalue
scientificpapersandpopulararticlesaboutthe themmorehighlythanwedoduring
"teenbrain"putit,presentsadolescentsas adolescence.Herewehitahighinwhat
"worksinprogress"whose"immaturebrains" behavioralscientistscallsensationseeking:the
leadsometoquestionwhethertheyareinastate huntfortheneuralbuzz,thejoltoftheunusual
"akintomentalretardation." orunexpected.
Thestoryyou'rereadingrightnow,however, Seekingsensationisn'tnecessarilyimpulsive.
tellsadifferentscientifictaleabouttheteen Youmightplanasensationseekingexperience
brain.Overthepastfiveyearsorso,evenasthe askydiveorafastdrivequitedeliberately,
workinprogressstoryspreadintoourculture, asmysondid.Impulsivitygenerallydrops
thedisciplineofadolescentbrainstudieslearned throughoutlife,startingataboutage10,butthis
todosomemorecomplexthinkingofitsown.A loveofthethrillpeaksataroundage15.And
fewresearchersbegantoviewrecentbrainand althoughsensationseekingcanleadtodangerous
geneticfindingsinabrighter,moreflattering behaviors,itcanalsogeneratepositiveones:The
light,onedistinctlycoloredbyevolutionary urgetomeetmorepeople,forinstance,can
theory.Theresultingaccountoftheadolescent createawidercircleoffriends,whichgenerally
braincallittheadaptiveadolescentstory makesushealthier,happier,safer,andmore
caststheteenlessasaroughdraftthanasan successful.
exquisitelysensitive,highlyadaptablecreature Thisupsideprobablyexplainswhyanopenness
wiredalmostperfectlyforthejobofmoving tothenew,thoughitcansometimeskillthecat,
fromthesafetyofhomeintothecomplicated remainsahighlightofadolescentdevelopment.
worldoutside. Aloveofnoveltyleadsdirectlytouseful
Thisviewwilllikelysitbetterwithteens.More experience.Morebroadly,thehuntforsensation
important,itsitsbetterwithbiology'smost providestheinspirationneededto"getyouout
fundamentalprinciple,thatofnaturalselection. ofthehouse"andintonewterrain,asJayGiedd,
Selectionishellondysfunctionaltraits.If apioneeringresearcherinteenbrain
adolescenceisessentiallyacollectionofthem developmentatNIH,putsit.
angst,idiocy,andhaste;impulsiveness, Alsopeakingduringadolescence(andperhaps
selfishness,andrecklessbumblingthenhow aggrievingtheancientrythemost)isrisktaking.
didthosetraitssurviveselection?Theycouldn't Wecourtriskmoreavidlyasteensthanatany
notiftheyweretheperiod'smostfundamental othertime.Thisshowsreliablyinthelab,where
orconsequentialfeatures. teenstakemorechancesincontrolled
Theansweristhatthosetroublesometraitsdon't experimentsinvolvingeverythingfromcard
reallycharacterizeadolescence;they'rejustwhat gamestosimulateddriving.Anditshowsinreal
life,wheretheperiodfromroughly15to25
bringspeaksinallsortsofriskyventuresand
uglyoutcomes.Thisagegroupdiesofaccidents
ofalmosteverysort(otherthanworkaccidents)
athighrates.Mostlongtermdrugoralcohol
abusestartsduringadolescence,andevenpeople
wholaterdrinkresponsiblyoftendrinktoomuch
asteens.Especiallyincultureswhereteenage
drivingiscommon,thistakesagorytoll:Inthe
U.S.,oneinthreeteendeathsisfromcarcrashes,
manyinvolvingalcohol.
Arethesekidsjustbeingstupid?That'sthe
conventionalexplanation:They'renotthinking,
orbytheworkinprogressmodel,theirpuny
developingbrainsfailthem.
Yettheseexplanationsdon'tholdup.As
LaurenceSteinberg,adevelopmental
psychologistspecializinginadolescenceat
TempleUniversity,pointsout,even14to17
yearoldsthebiggestrisktakersusethesame
basiccognitivestrategiesthatadultsdo,andthey
usuallyreasontheirwaythroughproblemsjust
aswellasadults.Contrarytopopularbelief,they
alsofullyrecognizethey'remortal.And,like
adults,saysSteinberg,"teensactually
overestimaterisk."
Soifteensthinkaswellasadultsdoand
recognizeriskjustaswell,whydotheytake
morechances?Here,aselsewhere,theproblem
lieslessinwhatteenslackcomparedwithadults
thaninwhattheyhavemoreof.Teenstakemore
risksnotbecausetheydon'tunderstandthe
dangersbutbecausetheyweighriskversus
rewarddifferently:Insituationswhereriskcan
getthemsomethingtheywant,theyvaluethe
rewardmoreheavilythanadultsdo.
AvideogameSteinbergusesdrawsthisout
nicely.Inthegame,youtrytodriveacrosstown
inaslittletimeaspossible.Alongthewayyou
encounterseveraltrafficlights.Asinreallife,
thetrafficlightssometimesturnfromgreento
yellowasyouapproachthem,forcingaquick
goorstopdecision.Yousavetimeandscore
morepointsifyoudrivethroughbeforethe
lightturnsred.Butifyoutrytodrivethroughthe
redanddon'tbeatit,youloseevenmoretime
thanyouwouldhaveifyouhadstoppedforit.
Thusthegamerewardsyoufortakingacertain
amountofriskbutpunishesyoufortakingtoo
much.
Whenteensdrivethecoursealone,inwhat
Steinbergcallstheemotionally"cool"situation
ofanemptyroom,theytakerisksataboutthe
sameratesthatadultsdo.Addstakesthatthe
teencaresabout,however,andthesituation
changes.InthiscaseSteinbergaddedfriends:
Whenhebroughtateen'sfriendsintotheroom
towatch,theteenwouldtaketwiceasmany
risks,tryingtogunitthroughlightshe'dstopped
forbefore.Theadults,meanwhile,droveno
differentlywithafriendwatching.
ToSteinberg,thisshowsclearlythatrisktaking
risesnotfrompunythinkingbutfromahigher
regardforreward.
"Theydidn'ttakemorechancesbecausethey
suddenlydowngradedtherisk,"saysSteinberg.
"Theydidsobecausetheygavemoreweightto
thepayoff."
ResearcherssuchasSteinbergandCaseybelieve
thisriskfriendlyweighingofcostversusreward
hasbeenselectedforbecause,overthecourseof
humanevolution,thewillingnesstotakerisks
duringthisperiodoflifehasgrantedanadaptive
edge.Succeedingoftenrequiresmovingoutof
thehomeandintolesssecuresituations."The
moreyouseeknoveltyandtakerisks,"says
Baird,"thebetteryoudo."Thisresponsiveness
torewardthusworkslikethedesirefornew
sensation:Itgetsyououtofthehouseandinto
newturf.
AsSteinberg'sdrivinggamesuggests,teens
respondstronglytosocialrewards.Physiology
andevolutionarytheoryalikeofferexplanations
forthistendency.Physiologically,adolescence
bringsapeakinthebrain'ssensitivityto
dopamine,aneurotransmitterthatappearsto
primeandfirerewardcircuitsandaidsin
learningpatternsandmakingdecisions.This
helpsexplaintheteen'squicknessoflearningand
extraordinaryreceptivitytorewardandhis
keen,sometimesmelodramaticreactionto
successaswellasdefeat.
Theteenbrainissimilarlyattunedtooxytocin,
anotherneuralhormone,which(amongother
things)makessocialconnectionsinparticular
morerewarding.Theneuralnetworksand
dynamicsassociatedwithgeneralrewardand
socialinteractionsoverlapheavily.Engageone,
andyouoftenengagetheother.Engagethem
duringadolescence,andyoulightafire.
Thishelpsexplainanothertraitthatmarks
adolescence:Teenspreferthecompanyofthose
theirownagemorethaneverbeforeorafter.At
onelevel,thispassionforsameagepeersmerely
expressesinthesocialrealmtheteen'sgeneral
attractiontonovelty:Teensofferteensfarmore
noveltythanfamiliaroldfamilydoes.
Yetteensgravitatetowardpeersforanother,
morepowerfulreason:toinvestinthefuture
ratherthanthepast.Weenteraworldmadeby
ourparents.Butwewilllivemostofourlives,
andprosper(ornot)inaworldrunandremade
byourpeers.Knowing,understanding,and
buildingrelationshipswiththembearscritically
onsuccess.Sociallysavvyratsormonkeys,for
instance,generallygetthebestnestingareasor
territories,themostfoodandwater,moreallies,
andmoresexwithbetterandfittermates.And
nospeciesismoreintricatelyanddeeplysocial
thanhumansare.
Thissupremelyhumancharacteristicmakespeer
relationsnotasideshowbutthemainshow.
Somebrainscanstudies,infact,suggestthatour
brainsreacttopeerexclusionmuchasthey
respondtothreatstophysicalhealthorfood
supply.Ataneurallevel,inotherwords,we
perceivesocialrejectionasathreattoexistence.
Knowingthismightmakeiteasiertoabidethe
hysteriaofa13yearolddeceivedbyafriendor ritualisticbattlesorbeingeatenbyleopards,but
thegloomofa15yearoldnotinvitedtoaparty. drugs,drinking,driving,andcrimetakeamighty
Thesepeople!welament.Theyreacttosocial
upsanddownsasiftheirfatesdependedupon
them!They'reright.Theydo.
Excitement,novelty,risk,thecompanyof
peers.Thesetraitsmayseemtoaddupto
nothingmorethandoingfoolishnewstuffwith
friends.Lookdeeper,however,andyouseethat
thesetraitsthatdefineadolescencemakeusmore
adaptive,bothasindividualsandasaspecies.
That'sdoubtlesswhythesetraits,broadly
defined,seemtoshowthemselvesinvirtuallyall
humancultures,modernortribal.Theymay
concentrateandexpressthemselvesmorestarkly
inmodernWesterncultures,inwhichteens
spendsomuchtimewitheachother.But
anthropologistshavefoundthatvirtuallyallthe
world'sculturesrecognizeadolescenceasa
distinctperiodinwhichadolescentsprefer
novelty,excitement,andpeers.Thisnear
universalrecognitionsinksthenotionthatit'sa
culturalconstruct.
Cultureclearlyshapesadolescence.Itinfluences
itsexpressionandpossiblyitslength.Itcan
magnifyitsmanifestations.Yetculturedoesnot
createadolescence.Theperiod'suniquenessrises
fromgenesanddevelopmentalprocessesthat
havebeenselectedforoverthousandsof
generationsbecausetheyplayanamplifiedrole
duringthiskeytransitionalperiod:producinga
creatureoptimallyprimedtoleaveasafehome
andmoveintounfamiliarterritory.
Themoveoutwardfromhomeisthemost
difficultthingthathumansdo,aswellasthe
mostcriticalnotjustforindividualsbutfora
speciesthathasshownanunmatchedabilityto
masterchallengingnewenvironments.In
scientificterms,teenagerscanbeapaininthe
ass.Buttheyarequitepossiblythemostfully,
cruciallyadaptivehumanbeingsaround.Without
them,humanitymightnothavesoreadilyspread
acrosstheglobe.
Thisadaptiveadolescenceview,however
accurate,canbetrickytocometotermswith
themoresoforparentsdealingwithteensin
theirmosttrying,contrary,orflatoutscary
moments.It'sreassuringtorecastworrisome
aspectsassignsofanorganismlearninghowto
negotiateitssurroundings.Butnaturalselection
swingsasharpedge,andtheteen'ssloppier
momentscanbringunbearableconsequences.
Wemaynotruntheriskofbeingkilledin
toll.Mysonlives,andthrives,sanscar,at
college.Someofhishighschoolfriends,
however,diedduringtheirdrivingexperiments.
Ourchildrenwieldtheiradaptiveplasticityamid
smallbuthorrificrisks.
Weparents,ofcourse,oftenstumbletoo,aswe
trytowalktheblurrylinebetweenhelpingand
hinderingourkidsastheyadapttoadulthood.
TheUnitedStatesspendsaboutabilliondollars
ayearonprogramstocounseladolescentson
violence,gangs,suicide,sex,substanceabuse,
andotherpotentialpitfalls.Fewofthemwork.
Yetwecananddohelp.Wecanwardoffsome
oftheworld'sworsthazardsandnudge
adolescentstowardappropriateresponsestothe
rest.Studiesshowthatwhenparentsengageand
guidetheirteenswithalightbutsteadyhand,
stayingconnectedbutallowingindependence,
theirkidsgenerallydomuchbetterinlife.
Adolescentswanttolearnprimarily,butnot
entirely,fromtheirfriends.Atsomelevelandat
sometimes(andit'stheparent'sjobtospot
when),theteenrecognizesthattheparentcan
offercertainkernelsofwisdomknowledge
valuednotbecauseitcomesfromparental
authoritybutbecauseitcomesfromtheparent's
ownstrugglestolearnhowtheworldturns.The
teenrightlyperceivesthatshemustunderstand
notjustherparents'worldbutalsotheonesheis
entering.Yetifallowedto,shecanappreciate
thatherparentsoncefacedthesameproblems
andmayrememberafewthingsworthknowing.
Meanwhile,intimesofdoubt,takeinspirationin
onelastdistinctionoftheteenbrainafinalkey
tobothitsclumsinessanditsremarkable
adaptability.Thisistheprolongedplasticityof
thoselatedevelopingfrontalareasastheyslowly
mature.Asnotedearlier,theseareasarethelast
tolaydownthefattymyelininsulationthe
brain'swhitematterthatspeedstransmission.
Andatfirstglancethisseemslikebadnews:If
weneedtheseareasforthecomplextaskof
enteringtheworld,whyaren'ttheyrunningat
fullspeedwhenthechallengesaremost
daunting?
Theansweristhatspeedcomesatthepriceof
flexibility.Whileamyelincoatinggreatly
acceleratesanaxon'sbandwidth,italsoinhibits
thegrowthofnewbranchesfromtheaxon.
AccordingtoDouglasFields,anNIH
neuroscientistwhohasspentyearsstudying
myelin,"Thismakestheperiodwhenabrain
arealaysdownmyelinasortofcrucialperiodof
learningthewiringisgettingupgraded,but
oncethat'sdone,it'shardertochange."
Thewindowinwhichexperiencecanbestrewire
thoseconnectionsishighlyspecifictoeachbrain
area.Thusthebrain'slanguagecentersacquire
theirinsulationmostheavilyinthefirst13years,
whenachildislearninglanguage.The
completedinsulationconsolidatesthosegains
butmakesfurthergains,suchassecond
languages,farhardertocomeby.
Soitiswiththeforebrain'smyelinationduring
thelateteensandearly20s.Thisdelayed
completionawithholdingofreadiness
heightensflexibilityjustasweconfrontand
entertheworldthatwewillfaceasadults.
Thislong,slow,backtofrontdevelopmental
wave,completedonlyinthemid20s,appearsto
beauniquelyhumanadaptation.Itmaybeone
ofourmostconsequential.Itcanseemabit
crazythatwehumansdon'twiseupabitearlier
inlife.Butifwesmartenedupsooner,we'dend
updumber.