(2/9/2011)

By Tara Parker Pope
The New York Times
February 3, 2011

Why do otherwise good kids seem to make bad decisions when they are with their friends? New research on risk taking and the teenage brain offers some answers. In studies at Temple University, psychologists used functional magnetic resonance imaging scans on 40 teenagers and adults to determine if there are differences in brain activity when adolescents are alone versus with their friends. The findings suggest that teenage peer pressure has a distinct effect on brain signals involving risk and reward, helping to explain why young people are more likely to misbehave and take risks when their friends are watching.

Read the full New York Times article: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/03/teenagers-friends-and-bad-decisions/

Keywords: teenagers, friends, bad decisions