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BeautifulBrains
Moody.Impulsive.Maddening.Whydo
teenagersactthewaytheydo?Viewedthrough
theeyesofevolution,theirmostexasperating
traitsmaybethekeytosuccessasadults.
ByDavidDobbs
1Althoughyouknowyourteenagertakes
somechances,itcanbeashocktohearabout
them.
OnefineMaymorningnotlongagomyoldest
son,17atthetime,phonedtotellmethathehad
justspentacouplehoursatthestatepolice
barracks.Apparentlyhehadbeendriving"alittle
fast."What,Iasked,was"alittlefast"?*Turns
outthisproductofmygenesandlovingcare,the
boymanIhadswaddled,coddled,cooedat,and
thenpushedandpulledtothebrinkofmanhood,
hadbeenflyingdownthehighwayat113miles
anhour.*
2"That'smorethanalittlefast,"Isaid.
Heagreed.Infact,hesoundedsomberand
contrite.HedidnotobjectwhenItoldhimhe'd
havetopaythefinesandprobablyforalawyer.
HedidnotarguewhenIpointedoutthatif
anythinghappensatthatspeedadoginthe
road,ablowntire,asneezehedies.Hewasin
factalmostirritatinglyreasonable.Heeven
profferedthatthecopdidtherightthingin
stoppinghim,for,asheputit,"Wecan'tallgo
arounddoing113."
3Hedid,however,objecttoonething.He developmentanditspatternsofactivity.These
didn'tlikeitthatoneoftheseveralcitationshe
receivedwasforrecklessdriving.
4"Well,"Ihuffed,sensinganopportunityto
finallyyellathim,"whatwouldyoucallit?"
5"It'sjustnotaccurate,"hesaidcalmly.
"'Reckless'soundslikeyou'renotpaying
attention.ButIwas.Imadeadeliberatepointof
traffic.Imean,Iwasn'tjustgunningthething.I
wasdriving.
6"Iguessthat'swhatIwantyoutoknow.Ifit
makesyoufeelanybetter,Iwasreallyfocused."
7Actually,itdidmakemefeelbetter.That
botheredme,forIdidn'tunderstandwhy.NowI
do.
8Myson'shighspeedadventureraisedthe
questionlongaskedbypeoplewhohave
ponderedtheclassofhumanswecallteenagers:
WhatonEarthwashedoing?Parentsoften
phrasethisquestionmorecolorfully.Scientists
putitmorecoolly.Theyask,Whatcanexplain
thisbehavior?Buteventhatisjustanotherway
ofwondering,Whatiswrongwiththesekids?
Whydotheyactthisway?Thequestionpasses
judgmentevenasitinquires.
9Throughtheages,mostanswershavecited
darkforcesthatuniquelyaffecttheteen.
Aristotleconcludedmorethan2,300yearsago
that"theyoungareheatedbyNatureasdrunken
menbywine."AshepherdinWilliam
Shakespeare'sTheWinter'sTalewishes"there
werenoagebetweentenandthreeandtwenty,
orthatyouthwouldsleepouttherest;forthereis
nothinginthebetweenbutgettingwencheswith
child,wrongingtheancientry,stealing,fighting."
Hislamentcolorsmostmodernscientific
inquiriesaswell.G.StanleyHall,who
formalizedadolescentstudieswithhis1904
Adolescence:ItsPsychologyandItsRelationsto
Physiology,Anthropology,Sociology,Sex,
Crime,ReligionandEducation,believedthis
periodof"stormandstress"replicatedearlier,
lesscivilizedstagesofhumandevelopment.
Freudsawadolescenceasanexpressionof
torturouspsychosexualconflict;ErikErikson,as
themosttumultuous
oflife'sseveralidentity
crises.Adolescence:alwaysaproblem.
Suchthinkingcarriedintothelate20thcentury,
whenresearchersdevelopedbrainimaging
technologythatenabledthemtoseetheteen
braininenoughdetailtotrackbothitsphysical
imagingtoolsofferedanewwaytoaskthesame
questionWhat'swrongwiththesekids?and
revealedananswerthatsurprisedalmost
everyone.Ourbrains,itturnedout,takemuch
longertodevelopthanwehadthought.This
revelationsuggestedbothasimplistic,
unflatteringexplanationforteens'maddening
behaviorandamorecomplex,affirmative
explanationaswell.
10*Thefirstfullseriesofscansofthe
developingadolescentbrainaNational
InstitutesofHealth(NIH)projectthatstudied
overahundredyoungpeopleastheygrewup
duringthe1990sshowedthatourbrains
undergoamassivereorganizationbetweenour
12thand25thyears.Thebraindoesn'tactually
growverymuchduringthisperiod.Ithas
alreadyreached90percentofitsfullsizebythe
timeapersonissix,andathickeningskull
accountsformostheadgrowthafterward.Butas
wemovethroughadolescence,thebrain
undergoesextensiveremodeling,resemblinga
networkandwiringupgrade.*
11Forstarters,thebrain'saxonsthelongnerve
fibersthatneuronsusetosendsignalstoother
neuronsbecomegraduallymoreinsulatedwith
afattysubstancecalledmyelin(thebrain'swhite
matter),eventuallyboostingtheaxons'
transmissionspeeduptoahundredtimes.
Meanwhile,dendrites,thebranchlikeextensions
thatneuronsusetoreceivesignalsfromnearby
axons,growtwiggier,andthemostheavilyused
synapsesthelittlechemicaljuncturesacross
whichaxonsanddendritespassnotesgrow
richerandstronger.Atthesametime,synapses
thatseelittleusebegintowither.Thissynaptic
pruning,asitiscalled,causesthebrain'scortex
theouterlayerofgraymatterwherewedo
muchofourconsciousandcomplicatedthinking
tobecomethinnerbutmoreefficient.Taken
together,thesechangesmaketheentirebraina
muchfasterandmoresophisticatedorgan.
12Thisprocessofmaturation,oncethoughtto
belargelyfinishedbyelementaryschool,
continuesthroughoutadolescence.Imagingwork
donesincethe1990sshowsthatthesephysical
changesmoveinaslowwavefromthebrain's
reartoitsfront,fromareasclosetothebrain
stemthatlookafterolderandmorebehaviorally
basicfunctions,suchasvision,movement,and
fundamentalprocessing,totheevolutionarily
newerandmorecomplicatedthinkingareasup
front.Thecorpuscallosum,whichconnectsthe
brain'sleftandrighthemispheresandcarries
trafficessentialtomanyadvancedbrain
functions,steadilythickens.Strongerlinksalso
developbetweenthehippocampus,asortof
memorydirectory,andfrontalareasthatset
goalsandweighdifferentagendas;asaresult,
wegetbetteratintegratingmemoryand
experienceintoourdecisions.Atthesametime,
thefrontalareasdevelopgreaterspeedandricher
connections,allowingustogenerateandweigh
farmorevariablesandagendasthanbefore.
13Whenthisdevelopmentproceedsnormally,
wegetbetteratbalancingimpulse,desire,goals,
selfinterest,rules,ethics,andevenaltruism,
generatingbehaviorthatismorecomplexand,
sometimesatleast,moresensible.Butattimes,
andespeciallyatfirst,thebraindoesthiswork
clumsily.It'shardtogetallthosenewcogsto
mesh.
14BeatrizLuna,aUniversityofPittsburgh
professorofpsychiatrywhousesneuroimaging
tostudytheteenbrain,usedasimpletestthat
illustratesthislearningcurve.Lunascannedthe
brainsofchildren,teens,andtwentysomethings
whiletheyperformedanantisaccadetask,asort
ofeyesonlyvideogamewhereyouhavetostop
yourselffromlookingatasuddenlyappearing
light.Youviewascreenonwhichthered
crosshairsatthecenteroccasionallydisappear
justasalightflickerselsewhereonthescreen.
Yourinstructionsaretonotlookatthelightand
insteadtolookintheoppositedirection.A
sensordetectsanyeyemovement.It'satough
assignment,sinceflickeringlightsnaturallydraw
ourattention.Tosucceed,youmustoverride
bothanormalimpulsetoattendtonew
informationandcuriosityaboutsomething
forbidden.Braingeekscallthisresponse
inhibition.
15Tenyearoldsstinkatit,failingabout45
percentofthetime.Teensdomuchbetter.In
fact,byage15theycanscoreaswellasadultsif
they'remotivated,resistingtemptationabout70
to80percentofthetime.WhatLunafoundmost
interesting,however,wasnotthosescores.Itwas
thebrainscansshetookwhilepeopletookthe
test.Comparedwithadults,teenstendedtomake
lessuseofbrainregionsthatmonitor
performance,spoterrors,plan,andstayfocused
areastheadultsseemedtobringonline
automatically.Thislettheadultsuseavarietyof
brainresourcesandbetterresisttemptation,
whiletheteensusedthoseareaslessoftenand
morereadilygaveintotheimpulsetolookatthe
flickeringlightjustasthey'remorelikelyto
lookawayfromtheroadtoreadatextmessage.
16Ifofferedanextrareward,however,teens
showedtheycouldpushthoseexecutiveregions
toworkharder,improvingtheirscores.Andby
age20,theirbrainsrespondtothistaskmuchas
theadults'do.Lunasuspectstheimprovement
comesasrichernetworksandfasterconnections
maketheexecutiveregionmoreeffective.
17Thesestudieshelpexplainwhyteensbehave
withsuchvexinginconsistency:beguilingat
breakfast,disgustingatdinner;masterfulon
Monday,sleepwalkingonSaturday.Alongwith
lackingexperiencegenerally,they'restill
learningtousetheirbrain'snewnetworks.
Stress,fatigue,orchallengescancauseamisfire.
AbigailBaird,aVassarpsychologistwhostudies
teens,callsthisneuralgawkinessanequivalent
tothephysicalawkwardnessteenssometimes
displaywhilemasteringtheirgrowingbodies.
18Theslowandunevendevelopmentalarc
revealedbytheseimagingstudiesoffersan
alluringlypithyexplanationforwhyteensmay
dostupidthingslikedriveat113milesanhour,
aggrievetheirancientry,andgetpeople(orget
gotten)withchild:Theyactthatwaybecause
theirbrainsaren'tdone!Youcanseeitright
thereinthescans!
19Thisview,astitlesfromtheexplosionof
scientificpapersandpopulararticlesaboutthe
"teenbrain"putit,presentsadolescentsas
"worksinprogress"whose"immaturebrains"
leadsometoquestionwhethertheyareinastate
"akintomentalretardation."
20Thestoryyou'rereadingrightnow,however,
tellsadifferentscientifictaleabouttheteen
brain.Overthepastfiveyearsorso,evenasthe
workinprogressstoryspreadintoourculture,
thedisciplineofadolescentbrainstudieslearned
todosomemorecomplexthinkingofitsown.A
fewresearchersbegantoviewrecentbrainand
geneticfindingsinabrighter,moreflattering
light,onedistinctlycoloredbyevolutionary
theory.Theresultingaccountoftheadolescent
braincallittheadaptiveadolescentstory
caststheteenlessasaroughdraftthanasan
exquisitelysensitive,highlyadaptablecreature
wiredalmostperfectlyforthejobofmoving
fromthesafetyofhomeintothecomplicated
worldoutside.
Thisviewwilllikelysitbetterwithteens.More
important,itsitsbetterwithbiology'smost
fundamentalprinciple,thatofnaturalselection.
Selectionishellondysfunctionaltraits.If
adolescenceisessentiallyacollectionofthem
angst,idiocy,andhaste;impulsiveness,
selfishness,andrecklessbumblingthenhow
didthosetraitssurviveselection?Theycouldn't
notiftheyweretheperiod'smostfundamental
orconsequentialfeatures.
21Theansweristhatthosetroublesometraits
don'treallycharacterizeadolescence;they'rejust
whatwenoticemostbecausetheyannoyusor
putourchildrenindanger.AsB.J.Casey,a
neuroscientistatWeillCornellMedicalCollege
whohasspentnearlyadecadeapplyingbrain
andgeneticstudiestoourunderstandingof
adolescence,putsit,"We'resousedtoseeing
adolescenceasaproblem.Butthemorewelearn
aboutwhatreallymakesthisperiodunique,the
moreadolescencestartstoseemlikeahighly
functional,evenadaptiveperiod.It'sexactly
whatyou'dneedtodothethingsyouhavetodo
then."
22Toseepastthedistracting,dopeyteenager
andglimpsetheadaptiveadolescentwithin,we
shouldlooknotatspecific,sometimesstartling,
behaviors,suchasskateboardingdownstairways
ordatingfastcompany,butatthebroadertraits
thatunderliethoseacts.
Let'sstartwiththeteen'sloveofthethrill.Weall
likenewandexcitingthings,butwenevervalue
themmorehighlythanwedoduring
adolescence.Herewehitahighinwhat
behavioralscientistscallsensationseeking:the
huntfortheneuralbuzz,thejoltoftheunusual
orunexpected.
23Seekingsensationisn'tnecessarilyimpulsive.
Youmightplanasensationseekingexperience
askydiveorafastdrivequitedeliberately,
asmysondid.Impulsivitygenerallydrops
throughoutlife,startingataboutage10,butthis
loveofthethrillpeaksataroundage15.And
althoughsensationseekingcanleadtodangerous
behaviors,itcanalsogeneratepositiveones:The
urgetomeetmorepeople,forinstance,can
createawidercircleoffriends,whichgenerally
makesushealthier,happier,safer,andmore
successful.
24Thisupsideprobablyexplainswhyan
opennesstothenew,thoughitcansometimes
killthecat,remainsahighlightofadolescent
development.Aloveofnoveltyleadsdirectlyto
usefulexperience.Morebroadly,thehuntfor
sensationprovidestheinspirationneededto"get
yououtofthehouse"andintonewterrain,asJay
Giedd,apioneeringresearcherinteenbrain
developmentatNIH,putsit.
25Alsopeakingduringadolescence(and
perhapsaggrievingtheancientrythemost)is
risktaking.Wecourtriskmoreavidlyasteens
thanatanyothertime.Thisshowsreliablyinthe
lab,whereteenstakemorechancesincontrolled
experimentsinvolvingeverythingfromcard
gamestosimulateddriving.Anditshowsinreal
life,wheretheperiodfromroughly15to25
bringspeaksinallsortsofriskyventuresand
uglyoutcomes.Thisagegroupdiesofaccidents
ofalmosteverysort(otherthanworkaccidents)
athighrates.Mostlongtermdrugoralcohol
abusestartsduringadolescence,andevenpeople
wholaterdrinkresponsiblyoftendrinktoomuch
asteens.Especiallyincultureswhereteenage
drivingiscommon,thistakesagorytoll:Inthe
U.S.,oneinthreeteendeathsisfromcarcrashes,
manyinvolvingalcohol.
26Arethesekidsjustbeingstupid?That'sthe
conventionalexplanation:They'renotthinking,
orbytheworkinprogressmodel,theirpuny
developingbrainsfailthem.
27Yettheseexplanationsdon'tholdup.As
LaurenceSteinberg,adevelopmental
psychologistspecializinginadolescenceat
TempleUniversity,pointsout,even14to17
yearoldsthebiggestrisktakersusethesame
basiccognitivestrategiesthatadultsdo,andthey
usuallyreasontheirwaythroughproblemsjust
aswellasadults.Contrarytopopularbelief,they
alsofullyrecognizethey'remortal.And,like
adults,saysSteinberg,"teensactually
overestimaterisk."
28Soifteensthinkaswellasadultsdoand
recognizeriskjustaswell,whydotheytake
morechances?Here,aselsewhere,theproblem
lieslessinwhatteenslackcomparedwithadults
thaninwhattheyhavemoreof.*Teenstake
morerisksnotbecausetheydon'tunderstandthe
dangersbutbecausetheyweighriskversus
rewarddifferently:Insituationswhereriskcan
getthemsomethingtheywant,theyvaluethe
rewardmoreheavilythanadultsdo.*
29AvideogameSteinbergusesdrawsthisout
nicely.Inthegame,youtrytodriveacrosstown
inaslittletimeaspossible.Alongthewayyou
encounterseveraltrafficlights.Asinreallife,
thetrafficlightssometimesturnfromgreento
yellowasyouapproachthem,forcingaquick
goorstopdecision.Yousavetimeandscore
morepointsifyoudrivethroughbeforethe
lightturnsred.Butifyoutrytodrivethroughthe
redanddon'tbeatit,youloseevenmoretime
thanyouwouldhaveifyouhadstoppedforit.
Thusthegamerewardsyoufortakingacertain
amountofriskbutpunishesyoufortakingtoo
much.
30Whenteensdrivethecoursealone,inwhat
Steinbergcallstheemotionally"cool"situation
ofanemptyroom,theytakerisksataboutthe
sameratesthatadultsdo.Addstakesthatthe
teencaresabout,however,andthesituation
changes.InthiscaseSteinbergaddedfriends:
*Whenhebroughtateen'sfriendsintotheroom
towatch,theteenwouldtaketwiceasmany
risks,tryingtogunitthroughlightshe'dstopped
forbefore.Theadults,meanwhile,droveno
differentlywithafriendwatching.*
31ToSteinberg,thisshowsclearlythatrisk
takingrisesnotfrompunythinkingbutfroma
higherregardforreward.
32"Theydidn'ttakemorechancesbecausethey
suddenlydowngradedtherisk,"saysSteinberg.
"Theydidsobecausetheygavemoreweightto
thepayoff."
33ResearcherssuchasSteinbergandCasey
believethisriskfriendlyweighingofcostversus
rewardhasbeenselectedforbecause,overthe
courseofhumanevolution,thewillingnessto
takerisksduringthisperiodoflifehasgranted
anadaptiveedge.Succeedingoftenrequires
movingoutofthehomeandintolesssecure
situations."Themoreyouseeknoveltyandtake
risks,"saysBaird,"thebetteryoudo."This
responsivenesstorewardthusworkslikethe
desirefornewsensation:Itgetsyououtofthe
houseandintonewturf.
34AsSteinberg'sdrivinggamesuggests,teens
respondstronglytosocialrewards.Physiology
andevolutionarytheoryalikeofferexplanations
forthistendency.Physiologically,adolescence
bringsapeakinthebrain'ssensitivityto
dopamine,aneurotransmitterthatappearsto
primeandfirerewardcircuitsandaidsin
learningpatternsandmakingdecisions.This
helpsexplaintheteen'squicknessoflearningand
extraordinaryreceptivitytorewardandhis
keen,sometimesmelodramaticreactionto
successaswellasdefeat.
35Theteenbrainissimilarlyattunedto
oxytocin,anotherneuralhormone,which
(amongotherthings)makessocialconnections
inparticularmorerewarding.Theneural
networksanddynamicsassociatedwithgeneral
rewardandsocialinteractionsoverlapheavily.
Engageone,andyouoftenengagetheother.
Engagethemduringadolescence,andyoulighta
fire.
36Thishelpsexplainanothertraitthatmarks
adolescence:Teenspreferthecompanyofthose
theirownagemorethaneverbeforeorafter.At
onelevel,thispassionforsameagepeersmerely
expressesinthesocialrealmtheteen'sgeneral
attractiontonovelty:Teensofferteensfarmore
noveltythanfamiliaroldfamilydoes.
37Yetteensgravitatetowardpeersforanother,
morepowerfulreason:toinvestinthefuture
ratherthanthepast.Weenteraworldmadeby
ourparents.Butwewilllivemostofourlives,
andprosper(ornot)inaworldrunandremade
byourpeers.Knowing,understanding,and
buildingrelationshipswiththembearscritically
onsuccess.Sociallysavvyratsormonkeys,for
instance,generallygetthebestnestingareasor
territories,themostfoodandwater,moreallies,
andmoresexwithbetterandfittermates.And
nospeciesismoreintricatelyanddeeplysocial
thanhumansare.
38Thissupremelyhumancharacteristicmakes
peerrelationsnotasideshowbutthemainshow.
Somebrainscanstudies,infact,suggestthatour
brainsreacttopeerexclusionmuchasthey
respondtothreatstophysicalhealthorfood
supply.Ataneurallevel,inotherwords,we
perceivesocialrejectionasathreattoexistence.
Knowingthismightmakeiteasiertoabidethe
hysteriaofa13yearolddeceivedbyafriendor ritualisticbattlesorbeingeatenbyleopards,but
thegloomofa15yearoldnotinvitedtoaparty. drugs,drinking,driving,andcrimetakeamighty
Thesepeople!welament.Theyreacttosocial
upsanddownsasiftheirfatesdependedupon
them!They'reright.Theydo.
39Excitement,novelty,risk,thecompanyof
peers.Thesetraitsmayseemtoaddupto
nothingmorethandoingfoolishnewstuffwith
friends.Lookdeeper,however,andyouseethat
thesetraitsthatdefineadolescencemakeusmore
adaptive,bothasindividualsandasaspecies.
That'sdoubtlesswhythesetraits,broadly
defined,seemtoshowthemselvesinvirtuallyall
humancultures,modernortribal.Theymay
concentrateandexpressthemselvesmorestarkly
inmodernWesterncultures,inwhichteens
spendsomuchtimewitheachother.But
anthropologistshavefoundthatvirtuallyallthe
world'sculturesrecognizeadolescenceasa
distinctperiodinwhichadolescentsprefer
novelty,excitement,andpeers.Thisnear
universalrecognitionsinksthenotionthatit'sa
culturalconstruct.
40Cultureclearlyshapesadolescence.It
influencesitsexpressionandpossiblyitslength.
Itcanmagnifyitsmanifestations.Yetculture
doesnotcreateadolescence.Theperiod's
uniquenessrisesfromgenesanddevelopmental
processesthathavebeenselectedforover
thousandsofgenerationsbecausetheyplayan
amplifiedroleduringthiskeytransitionalperiod:
producingacreatureoptimallyprimedtoleavea
safehomeandmoveintounfamiliarterritory.
41Themoveoutwardfromhomeisthemost
difficultthingthathumansdo,aswellasthe
mostcriticalnotjustforindividualsbutfora
speciesthathasshownanunmatchedabilityto
masterchallengingnewenvironments.In
scientificterms,teenagerscanbeapaininthe
ass.Buttheyarequitepossiblythemostfully,
cruciallyadaptivehumanbeingsaround.Without
them,humanitymightnothavesoreadilyspread
acrosstheglobe.
Thisadaptiveadolescenceview,however
accurate,canbetrickytocometotermswith
themoresoforparentsdealingwithteensin
theirmosttrying,contrary,orflatoutscary
moments.It'sreassuringtorecastworrisome
aspectsassignsofanorganismlearninghowto
negotiateitssurroundings.Butnaturalselection
swingsasharpedge,andtheteen'ssloppier
momentscanbringunbearableconsequences.
Wemaynotruntheriskofbeingkilledin
toll.Mysonlives,andthrives,sanscar,at
college.Someofhishighschoolfriends,
however,diedduringtheirdrivingexperiments.
Ourchildrenwieldtheiradaptiveplasticityamid
smallbuthorrificrisks.
42Weparents,ofcourse,oftenstumbletoo,as
wetrytowalktheblurrylinebetweenhelping
andhinderingourkidsastheyadaptto
adulthood.TheUnitedStatesspendsabouta
billiondollarsayearonprogramstocounsel
adolescentsonviolence,gangs,suicide,sex,
substanceabuse,andotherpotentialpitfalls.Few
ofthemwork.
43Yetwecananddohelp.Wecanwardoff
someoftheworld'sworsthazardsandnudge
adolescentstowardappropriateresponsestothe
rest.Studiesshowthatwhenparentsengageand
guidetheirteenswithalightbutsteadyhand,
stayingconnectedbutallowingindependence,
theirkidsgenerallydomuchbetterinlife.
Adolescentswanttolearnprimarily,butnot
entirely,fromtheirfriends.Atsomelevelandat
sometimes(andit'stheparent'sjobtospot
when),theteenrecognizesthattheparentcan
offercertainkernelsofwisdomknowledge
valuednotbecauseitcomesfromparental
authoritybutbecauseitcomesfromtheparent's
ownstrugglestolearnhowtheworldturns.The
teenrightlyperceivesthatshemustunderstand
notjustherparents'worldbutalsotheonesheis
entering.Yetifallowedto,shecanappreciate
thatherparentsoncefacedthesameproblems
andmayrememberafewthingsworthknowing.
44Meanwhile,intimesofdoubt,take
inspirationinonelastdistinctionoftheteen
brainafinalkeytobothitsclumsinessandits
remarkableadaptability.Thisistheprolonged
plasticityofthoselatedevelopingfrontalareas
astheyslowlymature.Asnotedearlier,these
areasarethelasttolaydownthefattymyelin
insulationthebrain'swhitematterthatspeeds
transmission.Andatfirstglancethisseemslike
badnews:Ifweneedtheseareasforthecomplex
taskofenteringtheworld,whyaren'tthey
runningatfullspeedwhenthechallengesare
mostdaunting?
Theansweristhatspeedcomesatthepriceof
flexibility.Whileamyelincoatinggreatly
acceleratesanaxon'sbandwidth,italsoinhibits
thegrowthofnewbranchesfromtheaxon.
AccordingtoDouglasFields,anNIH
neuroscientistwhohasspentyearsstudying
myelin,"Thismakestheperiodwhenabrain
arealaysdownmyelinasortofcrucialperiodof
learningthewiringisgettingupgraded,but
oncethat'sdone,it'shardertochange."
45Thewindowinwhichexperiencecanbest
rewirethoseconnectionsishighlyspecificto
eachbrainarea.Thusthebrain'slanguage
centersacquiretheirinsulationmostheavilyin
thefirst13years,whenachildislearning
language.Thecompletedinsulationconsolidates
thosegainsbutmakesfurthergains,suchas
secondlanguages,farhardertocomeby.
46Soitiswiththeforebrain'smyelination
duringthelateteensandearly20s.Thisdelayed
completionawithholdingofreadiness
heightensflexibilityjustasweconfrontand
entertheworldthatwewillfaceasadults.
47Thislong,slow,backtofrontdevelopmental
wave,completedonlyinthemid20s,appearsto
beauniquelyhumanadaptation.Itmaybeone
ofourmostconsequential.Itcanseemabit
crazythatwehumansdon'twiseupabitearlier
inlife.Butifwesmartenedupsooner,we'dend
updumber.