Decoding the young brain
There was a funny experiment to see how a young child would answer a specific question compared to an adult. After the adult had spent some time speaking with the child, he asked the child, “What do you think about me？” The child answered, “You talk too much.” When the adult performed the same experiment with another adult, the reply to the same question was, “I think you're a very interesting person.” Even if the adult felt the same way as the child, his brain allowed him to take a moment，consider the question, and come up with an answer. He could have been annoyed, but his answer didn't reflect it because he was being polite.
The secret lies in the science of the developing brain. The child's honest answer was reflected in the fact that his brain wasn't equipped to filter(过滤) information before answering the question. As a result, he was honest, but he said something that may have been hurtful. However, the child did not intentionally hurt the adult; it's just the way his brain works. As a child grows into adolescence and then into adulthood, that changes.
The human brain is made up of billions of neurons(神经元). In order for our body to execute a command, like getting up from a chair and walking to the other room, the neurons in the brain have to communicate with each other. They also help us employ our senses like taste and touch and help us remember things.
When the neurons send messages, perhaps one sensation(感觉) the person feels is excitement about eating a cookie because it is so delicious. Later, if that person smells a cookie or hears someone talking about a cookie, it can spark the electrical signals that call up the memory of eating the delicious cookie. In an adult, he or she may remember that eating too many cookies can have consequences, like weight gain. But because the younger brain is more impulsive(冲动的), the desire to feel the pleasure of the sweet treat outweighs the consequences.
That is because when a child is young, his brain is “wired” in such a way that he seeks pleasure and is more willing to take risks than an adult. This affects his decision-making process and it is why younger people tend to be more impulsive. Sometimes parents have to tell their children over and over again before the child remembers that something is dangerous or risky. How many times have we heard a parent say, “I tell her this all the time, but she never listens！”
To conclude, what we know about the young brain is that children are more likely than adults to be impulsive. It isn't always necessarily because they are being naughty; it may very well be because of their brains. So the next time you ask a child what he really thinks of you, be prepared for any kind of answer.
| Decoding the young brain | |
| An experiment on a young child | A young child answered the question the top of his head while an adult paused, and twice before he found an answer. |
| Causes of the reflected in the experiment | The developing brain of the young child contributed to his honest answer. ◆He was more likely to hurt or offend others he didn't intend to do so. ◆It's just the way his brain works and with him growing up, that changes. |
| Billions of neurons up the human brain have their own mechanism for functioning. ◆The neurons have to communicate with each other, helping us employ our senses and remember things. ◆A person may the smell of a cookie with the memory of eating it. ◆A younger brain is more impulsive compared with an adult's. | |
| A young child's having a natural to seek pleasure and take risks results from his young brain. ◆This affects his decision-making process and it is why younger people act in an impulsive way. ◆Warned many times before, a young child will still try something or risky. | |
| A conclusion drawn from the experiment | An adult's ability to control his impulses is much and a young child is not being naughty when they make hurtful or offensive answers. |
