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With four teenagers at home, I witness every day the strange thought processes they have. We’ve learned from recent research that the human brain undergoes immense changes during adolescence, which are often not finished until the mid-20s. National Geographic looks beyond that research into why the brain goes through such changes in adolescence, and finds it has to do with our evolutionary past. The risks teenagers take are in some ways very adaptive.
Let’s start with the teen’s love of the thrill. We all like new and exciting things, but we never value them more highly than we do during adolescence. Here we hit a high in what behavioral scientists call sensation seeking: the hunt for the neural buzz, the jolt of the unusual or unexpected.
Seeking sensation isn’t necessarily impulsive. You might plan a sensation-seeking experience—a skydive or a fast drive—quite deliberately, as my son did. Impulsivity generally drops throughout life, starting at about age 10, but this love of the thrill peaks at around age 15. And although sensation seeking can lead to dangerous behaviors, it can also generate positive ones: The urge to meet more people, for instance, can create a wider circle of friends, which generally makes us healthier, happier, safer, and more successful.
The entire article is available now in the October issue of National Geographic magazine. Link
(Image credit: Kitra Cahana)
Social scientists at the World Values Survey asked people around the world “Do you think most people would try to take advantage of you if they got a chance, or would they try to be fair?” Responses varied widely in different countries. Click on the link to view a larger version. Do the results match your own impressions?
Link -via Ace of Spades HQ | World Values Survey
What is your biggest regret about? A study by Kellogg professor of marketing Neal Roese plotted the results from a telephone survey of 370 American adults and graphed them for our edification. The link has further information on the study besides what’s in this graph. Link -via The Daily What
Photo by Carsten Peter
Perched above the lighted city of Catania, Italy, Mount Etna hurls a fountain of fire skyward as rivers of lava spill down its flanks. In spite of its dazzling displays, Mount Etna is a relatively safe volcano with rare, compact eruptions and slow-flowing lava that gives people a chance to escape. – National Geographic – {More Pics here!}
Lots of people live near a volcano. As for me, I live a relatively safe distance from Mt. St. Helens, but this region was severely affected by the eruption in 1980. I recently returned there, and it while it seems safe now, the devastation still shows. But The Geography Site cites four good reasons why society loves a lava-spewing mountain in their backyard.
Geothermal energy, minerals, fertile soil, and tourism. That last one is interesting, and many tourist attractions involve volcanic activity. And about that geothermal energy?
Countries such as Iceland make extensive use of geothermal power, with approximately two thirds of Iceland’s electricity coming from steam powered turbines. New Zealand and to a lesser extent, Japan, also make effective use of geothermal energy.
It makes sense that we’d be so close to that which can give us something powerful, while risking so much at the same time. Volcanoes rock.
Jeff Brunner offers this scathing critique of the values that the Disney Princesses teach girls. At the link, you can view a response about what Disney teaches boys.
Link via Popped Culture
Do you use Twitter or Facebook?
I really get the most out of Twitter when events like the Iranian elections went down. (the only reason to like Twitter, aside from this).
Chuck Klosterman has a seriously cool interpretation. Enjoy.
I’m more of a Facebook type that just shares links. Have a nice weekend.
Hit Play or go to You Tube
"It may be that natural selection is acting on not just things like whether or not we can resist the common cold, but also who it is that we are going to come into contact with," Fowler said in a statement.
Link - via clusterflock
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