THE DOMINANT LIMBIC SYSTEM_sandbox

THE DOMINANT LIMBIC SYSTEM_sandbox

THE DOMINANT LIMBIC SYSTEM

High schoolers, your limbic systems are fully myelinated. Your prefrontal cortices? Not so much…

This means your limbic system will dominate your decision making until your prefrontal cortex catches up, sometime between 25-30.

The limbic system does all of this (and more):

  • Controls motivation (good + bad) 
  • Helps to form + retrieve memories
  • Is involved with risk taking (good + bad) 
  • Drives reward seeking 
  • Helps regulate emotions (good + bad) 
  • Drives impulsive decisions (good + bad)
  • Is lit up by peers, but not adults 

Watch this 4-minute video to learn about why the teen brain has an evolutionary advantage.