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Prefrontal Cortex
During teenage years, the brain is still developing, and continues to develop until early-mid adulthood. Scientists have found that a part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex, has not been fully developed. The prefrontal cortex controls one's impulses and emotions, and also handles with weighing outcomes and judgement. Without this being fully developed, teenagers are found constantly making impulsive decisions and going through many emotional stages. Although the prefrontal cortex may not be completely developed, during this time of life, synapses start to grow rapidly. The brain cuts off the unnecessary synapses, but starting from the back, working forward. Since the prefrontal cortex is located in the front, it is last. In other words, the lack of development of the prefrontal cortex is one of the reasons why teenagers often make decisions on a whim and usually function differently compared to adults and even children.

Why Teenagers Often Make Regrettable Decisions
Have you ever made any decisions you regret as a teenager? Like, you snuck out of the house at the middle of the night and later came home to angry parents, ready to ground you. Or have you accidentally sent an embarrassing text message to the wrong person? Though the list can go on forever, these are examples of regrettable actions teenagers tend to make. To be honest, even I made some pretty crazy decisions as well. I’m assuming you’re a teenager who just experienced the consequences of one of these actions, which is why you’re here, asking yourself, “Why in the world would I ever do such a thing?!”. Don’t worry though, this is what I’m here for. I’m here to educate you on why what you just did is not completely your fault. Studies have found that there are actually a few key components in adolescent brain development as to why teenagers act the way they do.

Nucleus Accumbens
Another source of the brain that plays a role in teenage mindsets would be the nucleus accumbens. This part of the brain is what causes humans to seek pleasure or reward. During adolescence, the nucleus accumbens is one of the first parts to be developed, which may be the reason why teens constantly go out and do things to satisfy their reward cravings. If you're reading this right now and you recently did something that gave you an adrenaline rush, you probably did it because your nucleus accumbens wanted you to. So, next time you do something that makes you feel rewarded, whether it be something small such as eating your favorite candy or even something big like going on an online shopping spree, just remember, it may all be due to your nucleus accumbens.

Plasticity
Lastly, another key component of the brain that contributes to teenage behavior would be plasticity, the way the brain changes to make room for new information. This concept allows teenagers to be able to hold on to things that they've learned and build up habits. Many think that plasticity is the main cause of teenage addiction, where it be drugs, alcohol, tobacco, etc. but they don't realize that it's also what allows teens to pick up skills that can be used later on in the future. Let's see, let's take you as an example. Are you a skilled swimmer? Are you good at painting portraits of yourself? Or maybe even you're just good at baking simple brownies. Whatever it may be, all of your skills have stuck to you because of plasticity. Even though some teenagers don't necessarily spend their time learning and practicing skills that'll help them in the future, whatever they do sticks to them all due to plasticity.

While the prefrontal cortex is not completely developed, the brain's limbic system is fully functional, ever since the beginning of puberty. The limbic system controls our emotions. This explains why teenagers constantly experience great amounts of emotion. If you're a teenager and you feel like your emotions seem to get the best of you, you have the limbic system to blame.

Now knowing the way teenage brains function and develop, it's clear to see why teenagers act the way they do. With an immense amount of emotions and a lack of decisiveness, teens may not always make the best decisions.

Though there are other parts of the brain that affect the way teenagers act, the prefrontal cortex is like the icing on the cake when it comes to teenage behavior.