Gray Matter Matters

Source: Harvard Magazine

The economic principle I’m exploring is people generally respond to incentives in predictable ways as well as Institutions are the "rules of the game" that influence choices.

 My research question to help me study the economic principle is “To what extent is behavior controlled by the mind?”

 The article published in Proquest titled “Are Teens Just Wired That Way?” demonstrates this economic principle because it shows that changes in the brain throughout adolescence affect how teenagers act.

 Jay Giedd, a neuroscientist, was studying healthy teenager brains and noticed that “the brains appeared to change in unexpected ways as the youths matured through adolescence.” He looked closer and realized that the largest shifts during puberty occurred in the frontal lobe of the brain. The front of the brain is “believed [to be] crucial for advanced mental functions such as reasoning, making judgements and self-control.” Therefore, Giedd believes that the stereotypical teenage behaviors such as rebelliousness that are commonly blamed on “raging hormones” could be caused by a “burst of rapid change” that sculpts the brain.

 Although the theory is often questioned, if it is true then “the right kinds of teenage experiences might build the structures and connections necessary for a healthy adulthood.” For example, if teens are involved in music, academics, or sports, their brains will “likely be hard-wired that way.” However, the theory is controversial because “the roots of behavior are complex and cannot be easily explained.” John Bruer, president of the James S. McDonnell Foundation, believes that the theory is simply a way to excuse teenagers’ “irresponsible [and] careless” behaviors.

 Nonetheless, Giedd does continue to find it interesting that “the gray matter thickens, peaks around puberty and thins.” Based on this concrete data, he believes that “the shrinking of gray matter is one way the brain translates experience into knowledge.” Overall, Giedd agrees that “linking brain change with behavior” possible requires a greater understanding of the “complexity of inter-neural connections,” which he assumes is where the “chemistry of the brain becomes thought, ideas--and behavior.”

 In my next blog post I will research: To what extent can we research how adolescent brains translate thought to behavior?