The beautiful adolescent brain: An evolutionary developmental perspective

Abstract

The adolescent brain has been characterized as a defective car, with no brakes or steering wheel—only an accelerator. This characterization has been used to explain the impulsive and risky behavior of this transient developmental period. But why do adolescents respond to the world the way they do? In this article, we consider adolescent‐specific changes in the brain and behavior from a developmental evolutionary viewpoint in how they might be adaptive. We suggest ways in which the adolescent brain has evolved to explore and learn from new and changing environments as the adolescent gains independence from the caregiver and transitions into an adult. We highlight adolescent‐specific changes in the brain and behavior in response to emotional and social cues that may facilitate learning to independently secure resources (e.g., food, water, and shelter) and to establish new social bonds beyond the family or pack for their own survival. Specifically, we focus on how rewards, social cues, and threats in the environment influence behavior and may serve an adaptive role for the adolescent.