Nothing delights teens better than rewards or in actual terms, money. A recent study introspects on the reasons why teenagers have greater affinity toward rewards compared to adults.
There have been earlier studies focusing on why teens are more inclined toward rewards or money and it is felt that maybe it is because they have lesser access to it (money)compared to adults. However, the researchers at University of California have come up with an entirely different explanation.
The brains of teens who are anticipating compensation or rewards for tasks done actually light up. The ventral striatum region of the brain gets hyper-active, and the researchers say this is because the teenage brain is not fully matured , according to the researchers, reports Livescience.
The research led by Adriana Galvána along with 19 colleagues based their findings on MRI scan reports on two sets of volunteers. The teenage group comprised of 22 participants, mostly aged between 13 and 17. The controller group had 19 members aged between 25 and 30.
Both the groups were made to gamble and the players could bet for a maximum of $20. The groups had a 50-50 chance to win the bets. In all the bets, the ventral striatum, the reward centre in human brains, was found to lighten up faster in teens compared to the controller group, irrespective of the pay off.
"Anticipating or receiving a financial reward produced strong activity in a brain region called the ventral striatum, especially in adolescents" said Gavan, reports Philly.
The teens were seen to get themselves into riskier bets that would yield them greater rewards. Also the teens were better at choosing the games that proved to be more beneficial for them.
The researchers say that the study can be used to further examine how teen brains make 'risky choices and indulge in pleasure-seeking behavior'.
Surprisingly, infants respond differently than teens to rewards, the study reveals. "We don't see this in studies of younger kids either," said Galvan in a statement. "In a previous study we published of younger children, they didn't have the same neuro-sensitivity to rewards that we see in adolescents."
