Teens Ponder Risky Behavior, Still Engage
Teens do crazy things, according to a new study, but they also spend more time weighing the risks than adults.
Oftentimes, teens actually overestimate the odds of a bad outcome when pondering risky behavior, according to research done by Valerie Reyna of Cornell University and Frank Farley of Temple University. The benefits, however, outweigh the risks in a teen's mind.
Such benefits include immediate gratification or peer acceptance, Reyna said, according to Live Science.
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Although more teenagers are engaging in drug use, unprotected sex, and drunk driving, teens take about 170 milliseconds more weighing the pros and cons of such high-risk behavior than adults, the researchers found. Adults hardly ever think about risk.
"In other words, more experienced decision-makers tend to rely more on fuzzy reasoning, processing situations and problems as gists (the essence of their actions) rather than weighing multiple factors," said Reyna.
With teens, the desire for acceptance among peers plays a large part in their decision-making process.
Peer pressure starts early. Recent reports have shown that children in their pre-teen years are fast becoming teens, dressing and acting older. Technology and consumerism have influenced Generation X with sex and violence expected fixtures in everyday TV.
And many "tweens" model what they see, oftentimes leaving young Christian students as the minority on school campuses where casual sex and risqué music are common.
Today's generation of teens is the first generation in history to be more influenced outside the home than inside, youth leader Ron Luce of Teen Mania constantly tells parents and ministry leaders in his Battle Cry summits across the country.
While teens may take the time to mull the risk vs. benefit equation, media influence and peer pressure still leave teens doing crazy things.
The results of the study, announced this week, were published in the September issue of the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest.
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