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The Positive Side of Peer Influence
If you’ve ever been around teens, you know they often take risks. As parents, we lie awake wondering if our kids are cruising in a safe car or if their friends might encourage them to ignore traffic signals or, worse yet, drink before driving. Peer pressure is a familiar concern, and the thought of our kids being led into reckless behavior is worrying to say the least.
Research backs up these fears. A study by psychologists at Temple University, conducted in 2005, found that teens are significantly more likely to speed through yellow lights or drive carelessly when peers are watching. Curiously, adults didn’t show the same behavior when observed. Fast forward to 2011, when the same researchers used functional MRIs on teens while they played a driving video game. They discovered that when teens took risks in the company of friends, the areas of their brains associated with rewards became highly active—much more so than in adults. As Annie Murphy Paul noted in Scientific American, the thrill of risky driving feels amplified for teens in social settings, driving them toward high-stakes experiences.
However, new findings suggest that peer pressure can actually have a positive impact. In a recent experiment, researchers led by Dr. Max Harris observed 101 teenage boys playing a card game known as the Iowa Gambling Task. In this game, players learned to identify “good” and “bad” card decks based on the outcomes of their choices. Some boys played alone, while others played in the presence of three peers. The results were revealing: those who played with friends were more exploratory, learned faster from their experiences, and performed better than their solitary counterparts. As Dr. Harris pointed out, this indicates that teens absorb information more effectively when surrounded by peers.
Additional research supports the notion that social context enhances learning. In a 2004 study, students were split into two groups, with one group learning about people in a social context while the other focused on a simple cognitive task. The social context improved their recall of information.
Teenagers are particularly attentive to social dynamics. They’re at a critical learning stage where harnessing this social awareness could lead to richer educational experiences. In his book, Connected: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect, Dr. Sam Thompson suggests various strategies to make learning more engaging, such as incorporating social elements into subjects like history or enabling peer-to-peer tutoring in areas like math.
Presently, our high school system often discourages risk-taking, encouraging students to choose easier classes for better grades. But what if we could channel teens’ social risk tolerance into their education? Simple changes, like peer tutoring, could yield significant benefits for students, all while remaining low-risk.
In summary, while peer pressure is often viewed negatively, it can also foster positive behaviors and enhance learning experiences for teens. By recognizing and utilizing the social nature of teenagers, we can create environments that promote effective education.
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