Even at 20, our brain continues to develop...

Both from the viewpoint of developmental psychologists and marketers, the way teenagers make their decisions and how they are influenced can be critical in building up a long term relationships. Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore of UCL London disputes the still widely accepted idea that brain development takes place primarily in the first 3 to 4 years of life. 


In fact, a healthy thinking balance between the more rational 'new brain' (in particular the pre-frontal cortex) and the older parts of the brain (think 'fight and flight') may not exist until our early to mid-20's. 
It really makes you think twice about subjects like driving, voting and the age that soldiers go to war!

If you want to find out more about the adolescent brain, listen to Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore in this new BBC radio interview or watch her earlier TED talk at: www.ted.com/talks/sarah_jayne_blakemore_the_mysterious_workings_of_the_adolescent_brain?language=en#t-7666