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Research: Why do teens do rash things?
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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There is an opinion that risky behavior of teenagers is caused by a craving for excitement at this age and “tests of adult life.” However, research by scientists from New York University, Yale School of Medicine, and Fordham University say that this is not entirely true.
Apparently, adults try to avoid situations that can turn out differently, that is, the outcome of which is unclear, but teenagers are not afraid of them, and sometimes even attracted to them.
Instead of a taste for risk, as is commonly believed, adolescent risk-taking behavior is based on their craving for the unknown, for something they do not have a sufficient understanding of.
An article about the results of the scientists' research was published in the periodical "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences". It points out the main differences between the behavior of adults and teenagers, and also contains recommendations that will be a hint for communicating with such teenagers.
"Our research suggests that a key reason why adolescents may engage in risky behavior without worrying about the outcome of their actions may be due to a lack of awareness of the threat of a particular action," said lead author Agnieszka Timola, a researcher at the Center for Neuroscience and Psychology at New York University.
The research also opens up new opportunities for communicating with children in this age group.
"We found that if a teenager is well aware of the consequences of their actions and deeds, they will avoid risky situations as much or even more than an adult," the researchers say. "If a teenager has insufficient information about the level of threat, they take risks, but still move forward. This is due to the biological processes of learning about the world around them - young people are open to new knowledge and are eager to receive it."
The researchers recruited a group of teenagers aged 12-17 and a group of adults aged 30-35 to participate in the study.
The first experiment involved subjects making a series of risky financial transactions, each of which offered either a stable win of five dollars or a risk that could either pay off or bring nothing.
Surprisingly, it turned out that teenagers made far fewer dangerous decisions than adults if they knew well that their actions were associated with a certain degree of risk. However, the situation changed if teenagers had no idea about the consequences that their actions would entail.
"In fact, teenagers do not rush headlong into risky situations. Their actions may simply be related to insufficient knowledge and lack of information on a particular issue," the researchers conclude.
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