Inventing ourselves : the secret life of the teenage brain

'You will understand your children better for reading it.' The Times 'Beautifully written with clarity, expertise and honesty about the most important subject for all of us. I couldn't put it down. ' Professor Robert Winston An insightful and inspiring read from award-winning neuroscienist, Sarah-Jayne Blakemore Sarah-Jayne Blakemore explains: · What makes the adolescent brain different? · Why does an easy child become a challenging teenager? · What drives the excessive risk-taking and the need for intense friendships common to teenagers? · Why it is that many mental illnesses – depression, addiction, schizophrenia – begin during these formative years. And she shows that while adolescence is a period of vulnerability, it is also a time of enormous creativity and opportunity. What readers are saying: *****'An accessible, optimistic and illuminating book.' *****'Essential reading for parents and teachers of adolescents.' *****'Relevant, fascinating and captivating.' Our Personalities, Aspirations And Dreams Are All Established In Our Brains. It Creates Every Feeling, Emotion And Desire We Experience, And Stores Every One Of Our Memories. And Yet, Until Very Recently, We Believed That It Stopped Developing In Childhood; That By The Time You Reached Adolescence, Your Brain Was Fully Developed. In Inventing Ourselves, Award-winning Neuroscientist Sarah-jayne Blakemore Reveals That This Is Simply Not The Case. There Are Fundamental Differences Between The Adult And Adolescent Brain, And Typical Teenage Behaviour - Risk Taking, Intense Relationships, Going To Bed And Getting Up Late - Is Caused By The Transformations That Take Place During This Formative Period. Perhaps Unsurprisingly, These Physiological Changes Are Most Evident In The Prefrontal Cortex, The Region Responsible For Decision-making, Planning, Inhibiting Inappropriate Behaviour, Evaluating Risk And Understanding Others. While Working In A Psychiatric Hospital In Versailles, Sarah-jayne Blakemore Was Struck By The Realisation That Every Patient First Experienced Symptoms During This Pivotal Period. Why Is This? What Happens To Our Brains During Our Teenage Years? And What Makes Adolescent Brains Particularly Vulnerable To Illnesses Such As Schizophrenia? With Implications For Education, Parenting And Treating Mental Health Conditions, Inventing Ourselves Will Transform The Way We Think About Adolescence And Reveal That The Changes We Experience Throughout Our Teenage Years Dictate The Adults We Become. Adolescence Isn't An Aberration -- A Sense Of Self -- Fitting In -- Inside The Skull -- Inside The Living Brain -- The Ever-plastic Brain -- Social Mind, Social Brain -- Understanding Other People -- The Right Sort Of Risks -- When Things Go Wrong -- Educating The Brain -- It's The Journey That Matters. Sarah-jayne Blakemore. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 203-224) And Index. Winner of the 2020 British Psychological Society Popular Science Prize Winner of the 2018 Royal Society Science Book Prize . ........................................................................................ Up to the minute brain science from a world class scientist. Sarah-Jayne Blakemore explains how the adolescent brain transforms as it develops and shapes the adults we become. 'Beautifully written with clarity, expertise and honesty about the most important subject for all of us. I couldn't put it down.' - Professor Robert Winston Drawing upon her cutting-edge research Professor Blakemore explores: · What makes the adolescent brain different? · Why does an easy child become a challenging teenager? · What drives the excessive risk-taking and the need for intense friendships common to teenagers? · Why it is that many mental illnesses - depression, addiction, schizophrenia - begin during these formative years. And she shows that while adolescence is a period of vulnerability, it is also a time of enormous creativity and opportunity. Describes the transformations that take place in the human brain during adolescence, especially in the prefrontal cortex, which governs decision-making, planning, inhibiting inappropriate behavior, evaluating risk, and understanding others. WINNER of the 2018 Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize 2018'Finally, a book about the adolescent brain written by someone who actually does the science!