Teen Risk-Taking: A Good Thing?

Teenagers’ sometimes inexplicable choices can be understood as a rational developmental phase when seen through the lens of animal behavior

- Barbara Natterson Horowitz

TEENAGERS ARE NOTORIOUS RISK-TAKERS, AND THE OUTRAGEOUS, unpredictable things they do—from extreme sports to binge-drinking—can seem inexplicable to the adults around them. Are they driven by rebellion, poor judgment or immature brains? In this excerpt from their book Wildhood, the bestselling authors of Zoobiquity, Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers, present findings from their five-year study on wild animal adolescence. They uncovered evidence that young folks are hardwired to take risks—and with good reason. Across the animal kingdom, risky behavior helps adolescents develop into safer and more confident adults. Can understanding the animal basis of a human teenager’s behavior help a parent balance the urge to protect with the need to develop independence?

VULNERABLE BY NATURE

Adolescent humans suffer much higher rates of traumatic injury and death compared to adults. Around the world, the risk of dying skyrockets between childhood and adulthood. Accidents from car crashes, gunfire, falls, drownings and poisonings are the leading causes of death for this age.

Adolescents drive faster than adults and buckle up less often. They have the highest rates of criminal behavior and are five times more likely to be the victims of homicide than adults 35 or older. Except for toddlers (who stick fingers into sockets) and adults with jobs in electricity-related industries, adolescents have the highest rates of fatal electrocution. Compared with other populations, their suicide numbers are high—as are mental illnesses and addictions. And adolescents are far more likely to binge-drink themselves to intoxication and death than older adults.