Why Teens Do Stupid Things

16Apr08

An article in Science Daily suggests that teens do stupid things (smoke, drink, take drugs, have unprotected sex, ride with drunk drivers) not because they haven’t thought about the risks or believe themselves to be invulnerable, but because the benefits of instant gratification or peer acceptance outweigh the risks in their mind.

I tend to agree. I think that, as the article suggests, most teens know good and well what can happen when they do incredibly stupid things. And even though they may even take the time to weigh the risks in their mind, or to seriously consider the effects of what they’re about to do, the need to make instantaneous decisions that will make them look good usually outweighs their common sense.

What do you think?

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