It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for a leisurely afternoon drive, and as I wave to a child riding his bike along side my car I was surprised to receive the middle finger salute.
However, this isn’t quite as surprising as anyone should think.
It seems as though risk-taking is preprogrammed within teenagers. In a recent study those who engaged in riskiest behavior were 14-year-olds. The child on the bike would have been, in my opinion, around the age of 12 to 14 years old.
Researchers said, "The reason that teenagers take risks is not a problem with foreseeing the consequences. It was more because they chose to take those risks.”
When I saw him flip me the bird I was in complete shock. My initial thought was to return the sentiment but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I continued on my drive watching the child speed away in my rear view mirror only imagining the high he just got off of our short encounter.
The study was conducted at University College London (UCL) and involved 86 boys and men ages 9-35. The participants were asked to play computer games that rewarded with points attained by the decisions made within the course of the game.
It seems that, although these teenagers are aware of the consequences of their possible actions, it’s the high they get off coming close to a negative outcome but still coming out on top. Or as these researchers call when the teen has a “lucky escape.”
I analyzed the risk factor involved with my predicament. I could have reacted as I would when I see anyone give me the finger: get angry and verbally aggressive. However, this would not be a smart choice. Harassing a child for acting like a child would lead to worse consequences for myself. I understood the risks before me.
"This is the first evidence from a lab-based study that adolescents are risk-takers,” said Dr Stephanie Burnett from the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, and the lead author of the study. “We are one step forward in determining why teenagers engage in extremely risky behaviors such as drug use and unsafe sex."
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