为什么青少年总是喜怒无常？：英语精读讲义

Being a teen can be an amazing time of discovery, learning, and friendship,

青少年时期可以是一段充满探索、学习和友谊的精彩时光，

but it's also a time of rapid change

但这也是一个迅速变化的阶段，

and emotional highs and lows where things can feel really tough. 習語

情绪还会大起大落，有时让人觉得特别难熬。

So, what's going on in our brains and bodies 短語動詞

那么，我们的大脑和身体里究竟发生了什么，

that make us feel this way? 語法

才让我们有这样的感受？

Why is being a teen so hard?

为什么当个青少年这么难？

We're often told that the most important years of brain development 語法

我们经常听说，大脑发育最重要的几年

are between 0 and 5 years old,

是在0到5岁之间，

although recent research has found adolescent development to be equally important. 語法

但近期研究发现，青少年时期的发育同样重要。

During childhood, our brains continually grow generating gray matter until they reach their maximum size,

童年时期，我们的大脑会不断生长并产生灰质，直到体积达到最大，

which for girls is around age 12 and boys around age 14.

女孩的大脑通常在12岁左右达到最大体积，男孩则在14岁左右。

But even after this, the brain works to become more efficient

但即便在这之后，大脑仍会努力提高效率，

by cutting away unused gray matter that isn't exercised by experience, 講解

修剪掉那些没有通过经验得到锻炼、因而闲置的灰质，

and at the same time increasing myelin, which is fatty tissue that insulates brain pathways.

同时增加髓鞘——一种为大脑通路提供绝缘保护的脂肪组织。

Puberty begins in the hypothalamus, where a protein called kisspeptin is produced, 語法

青春期始于下丘脑，那里会产生一种名为吻素（kisspeptin）的蛋白质，

triggering the pituitary gland to unleash the hormones testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone. 語法

它会促使垂体释放睾酮、雌激素和孕酮。

These activate the ovaries and testes,

这些激素会激活卵巢和睾丸，

but also cause you to seek emotionally charged experiences, 講解

但也会驱使你寻求情绪强烈的体验，

whether it's a movie to make you sob 語法

无论是看一部让你哭得稀里哗啦的电影，

or driving 180 km per hour down the freeway.

还是在高速公路上以每小时180公里的速度狂飙。

It causes your response to emotionally loaded images or sounds to be more intense,

这会让你对情绪色彩强烈的图像或声音反应得更激烈，

which is why listening to One Direction may produce large bouts of the feels. 講解

所以听 One Direction 的歌，可能会让一阵阵强烈的情绪涌上心头。

The area of the brain responsible for planning ahead and assessing risk is still immature in teenagers, 短語搭配

大脑中负责提前规划和评估风险的区域，在青少年时期还没有发育成熟，

which is why teens are more likely to participate in high-risk behavior 講解

所以青少年更容易参与高风险行为，

like unprotected sex and drinking and driving.

比如无保护措施的性行为和酒后驾车。

Interestingly, in a simulated driving experience,

有趣的是，在模拟驾驶实验中，

adults and teens took the same amount of driving risks while alone.

独自一人时，成年人和青少年冒险驾驶的程度相同。

However, when surrounded by an audience of friends,

然而，当身边有一群朋友围观时，

teens took significantly more risks while adults were unaffected.

青少年会冒明显更大的风险，而成年人则不受影响。

What's the benefit of this behavior? 表達脈絡

这种行为有什么好处？

Peer acceptance.

获得同伴认同。

In a study where teens were asked to rank music clips 語法

在一项研究中，研究人员让青少年给音乐片段排序，

with and without knowing what their peers had picked,

一种情况下，他们知道同伴选了什么，另一种则不知道，

their choices changed.

结果他们的选择发生了变化。

Unlike small children and adults, 表達脈絡

与幼儿和成年人不同，

feeling socially isolated as a teen creates feelings of intense unworthiness. 語法

青少年一旦感到在社交中被孤立，就会强烈地觉得自己毫无价值。

This, along with our biology, can contribute to teens prioritizing friends over even family. 短語搭配

这种感受再加上我们的生理机制，可能会让青少年把朋友看得甚至比家人还重要。

As social animals,

作为社会性动物，

stepping outside the safety of our family creates genetically diverse populations, 習語

走出家庭的安全圈，会形成遗传多样性更高的种群，

diminishing the likelihood of inbreeding.

从而降低近亲繁殖的可能性。

In fact, teens have heightened social abilities

事实上，青少年的社交能力会有所增强，

like processing and evaluating facial expressions better than other age groups,

比如，他们比其他年龄段的人更擅长解读和判断面部表情，

allowing teens to be extremely cognizant of friends' joy, sadness, or stress. 用詞

因而能够极其敏锐地察觉朋友的喜悦、悲伤或压力。

Speaking of stress, 表達脈絡

说到压力，

the hormone released in stressful situations

在压力情境下释放的那种激素，

to help soothe the brain cells of children and adults 語法

能帮助安抚儿童和成年人的脑细胞，

has the opposite impact on teens, 短語搭配

却会对青少年产生相反的影响，

causing an increase in anxiety.

导致焦虑加剧。

Pair that with a change in circadian rhythms 講解

再加上昼夜节律发生变化，

making you want to wake up 3 to 4 hours later than adults,

让你想比成年人晚3到4个小时起床，

it's no wonder some people describe teens as emotionally moody. 講解

难怪有人说青少年的情绪阴晴不定。

On the other hand, teens are very physically healthy. 表達脈絡

另一方面，青少年的身体非常健康。

The immune system is highly functioning,

他们的免疫系统功能很强，

teens have increased tolerance to temperature changes, 短語搭配

对温度变化的耐受力更高，

and a high resistance to cancer.

对癌症也有很强的抵抗力。

But despite physical fitness, 語法

但尽管身体素质很好，

records show that death rates increase by 200 to 300% after childhood 語法

数据显示，儿童期过后，死亡率会增加200%至300%，

due to motor vehicle accidents,

原因包括机动车事故、

homicide, and suicide.

他杀和自杀。

Scientists believe that many changes in white matter,

科学家认为，白质的诸多变化，

gray matter, and connections in the brain

以及灰质和大脑连接的变化

may be to blame with an increased risk of errors during this time. 短語搭配

可能是造成这种情况的原因，因为这一时期出错的风险会增加。

But with a greater number of synaptic connections and increased plasticity, 語法

但由于突触连接更多、可塑性更强，

the teenage brain is primed to learn quickly and memorize content fast. 用詞

青少年的大脑已经准备好快速学习，并迅速记住内容。

Unlike an older brain rooted in what it knows, 習語

不同于年长者那种扎根于已有认知的大脑，

teens can respond easily to their environment

青少年能轻松地对周围环境作出反应，

and make incredible strides in communication and socialization. 習語

并在沟通和社交方面取得惊人的进步。

Not to mention being passionate is incredibly valuable 表達脈絡

更不用说，充满热情本身就极具价值，

and taking risks is often what is needed to make changes in your life 語法

而要改变自己的人生，往往需要勇于冒险，

and the lives of others.

要改变他人的人生也是如此。

Being a teen can be tough, 表達脈絡

青少年时期可能很难熬，

but it can also be amazing.

但也可以精彩无比。

If you want to know why teens are the biggest super fans

如果你想知道为什么青少年会成为最狂热的粉丝，

and become obsessed with their favorite bands and shows,

又为什么会迷上自己最喜欢的乐队和节目，

check out our latest AsapThought on the science of fandom.

就来看看我们最新一期 AsapThought，了解粉丝文化背后的科学。

Links are in the description to see that video.

观看该视频的链接就在简介中。

And subscribe for more weekly science videos.

也请订阅，收看我们每周更新的更多科学视频。