How risk-taking changes a teenager’s brain | Kashfia Rahman

Why do teenagers sometimes make outrageous, risky choices? Do they suddenly become reckless, or are they just going through a natural phase? To find out, Kashfia Rahman — winner of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (and a Harvard freshman) — designed and conducted an experiment to test how high school students respond to and get used to risk, and how it changes their still-developing brains. What she discovered about risk and decision-making could change how we think about why teens do what they do.

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24 Comments on How risk-taking changes a teenager’s brain | Kashfia Rahman

  1. Teenagers are dumb, saw this guy hold himself from one side of a skyscraper.
    Edit: he did it once with one hand then died on the next try.

  2. 0:13 Teenagers
    0:54 Why do they take risks?
    1:38 Is it a phase? Underlying Causes?
    2:19 Habituation, “Getting used to it”
    3:18 An obstacle, we need teens to do this experiment
    4:07 What drove Kashfia to do this experiment
    4:45 Setting Up The Experiment
    5:43 Computerized simulation
    6:28 29 Days Later… The Results 6:51
    8:23 The Impact of these results
    9:48 She won 1st place.
    10:33 Inspiration.

  3. I never did anything stupid as a teen! You can’t judge me!

    …looks down at the hefty scar on his knee…

    Oh yeah that time…

  4. I remember Kashfia from the movie/documentary “Science Fair.” There are some amazing kids doing some amazing things out there!

  5. Wow, very well presented by such a young lass. Good talk, interesting topic, glad that Kashfia embraced her curiosity.

  6. I wonder if she accounted for peer pressure. Were students already conditioned to think a certain way due to prior experiences before highschool

    • Bruh she looks like them fucking things where its a person in a small person in a smaller person in a tiny person in a tinyer person

  7. People with disabling fear issues often are caused by parents not allowing their kids to take risks. Very well known you need to expose people to the risks they fear willingly. So they can overcome them. Nothing new here but a great experiment and dedication, keep it up young lady.

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