Psychologists look at risk taking in teens

Scientists at Temple's Department of Psychology are exploring why teenagers will take more risks when they're in groups than when they’re by themselves. The scientists scanned the brains of young teens, college students, and young adults while they played a video game — alone and with friends — that challenged them to take risks. Having friends near by lit up the areas of the teenagers' brains associated with rewards, indicating that they became more attuned to the potential payoff for taking risks and less aware of the possible negative consequences.
Feb. 7, 2011 | Philadelphia Magazine