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How Does the Brain Evolve Throughout Our Lives, and How Does This Affect Behavior?

The brain is always changing and growing throughout our lives. It plays a big role in how we think, feel, and act.

How the Brain Changes Over Time

  1. Growing Up:
    • Infancy to Childhood: When we're babies, our brains grow super fast. About 700 new brain cells are created every minute! By the time we turn 6, our brains are about 90% the size of an adult's brain.
    • Teen Years: In our teenage years, an important part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex gets better at helping us make decisions and control our impulses, which are the things we want to do right away without thinking. This part of the brain finishes developing in our mid-20s. During this time, the brain cuts away connections it doesn’t use, which helps it work better.
    • Adulthood and Aging: After we hit 30, we start to lose some brain cells and certain parts of the brain shrink. This can make it harder to remember things and learn new stuff. But the good news is our brains can still change and adapt through a process called neuroplasticity, which is when our brains create new connections.

How the Brain Affects How We Behave

  • Learning and Memory: Kids are usually really good at learning new things. They can learn a lot of words—about 5,000—by age 5 because their brains are so flexible and can easily change.

  • Handling Emotions: The amygdala, a part of the brain that helps us feel emotions, keeps developing during our teenage years. This means that teenagers might feel emotions more strongly since their brains are still growing and connecting in new ways.

  • Taking Risks: During the teenage years, the part of the brain that makes us feel rewards (called the nucleus accumbens) is very active. This can lead to teenagers trying more risky things because this part of their brain is working harder than it does in adults.

In short, the way our brain changes throughout our lives is very important for how we behave and feel. These changes, from when we are kids to when we are older, greatly influence how we think, feel, and act in different situations.

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How Does the Brain Evolve Throughout Our Lives, and How Does This Affect Behavior?

The brain is always changing and growing throughout our lives. It plays a big role in how we think, feel, and act.

How the Brain Changes Over Time

  1. Growing Up:
    • Infancy to Childhood: When we're babies, our brains grow super fast. About 700 new brain cells are created every minute! By the time we turn 6, our brains are about 90% the size of an adult's brain.
    • Teen Years: In our teenage years, an important part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex gets better at helping us make decisions and control our impulses, which are the things we want to do right away without thinking. This part of the brain finishes developing in our mid-20s. During this time, the brain cuts away connections it doesn’t use, which helps it work better.
    • Adulthood and Aging: After we hit 30, we start to lose some brain cells and certain parts of the brain shrink. This can make it harder to remember things and learn new stuff. But the good news is our brains can still change and adapt through a process called neuroplasticity, which is when our brains create new connections.

How the Brain Affects How We Behave

  • Learning and Memory: Kids are usually really good at learning new things. They can learn a lot of words—about 5,000—by age 5 because their brains are so flexible and can easily change.

  • Handling Emotions: The amygdala, a part of the brain that helps us feel emotions, keeps developing during our teenage years. This means that teenagers might feel emotions more strongly since their brains are still growing and connecting in new ways.

  • Taking Risks: During the teenage years, the part of the brain that makes us feel rewards (called the nucleus accumbens) is very active. This can lead to teenagers trying more risky things because this part of their brain is working harder than it does in adults.

In short, the way our brain changes throughout our lives is very important for how we behave and feel. These changes, from when we are kids to when we are older, greatly influence how we think, feel, and act in different situations.

Related articles