Have you ever tried to understand a teenager? It's exhausting, right? You must be puzzled by the fact that some teens do well in school, lead clubs and teams and volunteer in their communities, but they eat Tide Pods for an online challenge, speed and text while driving, binge drink and experiment with illicit drugs. How can so many teens be so smart, skilled and responsible -- and careless risk-takers at the same time?
Jeste li ikada pokušali da razumete tinejdžera? Iscrpljujuće je, zar ne? Mora da vas zbunjuje činjenica da su neki tinejdžeri uspešni u školi, predvode klubove i timove i volontiraju u svojim zajednicama, ali jedu kapsule deterdženta u onlajn izazovu, brzo voze i pritom šalju poruke, pijanče i eksperimentišu sa ilegalnim drogama. Kako toliko tinejdžera može biti pametno, vešto i odgovorno, i nesmotreno rizikovati u isto vreme?
When I was 16, while frequently observing my peers in person as well as on social media, I began to wonder why so many teens took such crazy risks. It seems like getting a certificate from DARE class in the fifth grade can't stop them.
Kada sam imala 16 godina, dok sam često posmatrala svoje vršnjake uživo, ali i putem društvenih mreža, počela sam da se pitam zašto se toliko tinejdžera izlaže rizicima. Izgleda da ih časovi prevencije zloupotrebe droga u petom razredu ne mogu sprečiti.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
What was even more alarming to me was that the more they exposed themselves to these harmful risks, the easier it became for them to continue taking risks. Now this confused me, but it also made me incredibly curious. So, as someone with a name that literally means "to explore knowledge," I started searching for a scientific explanation.
Ono što mi je bilo još alarmantnije je da, što su više bili izloženi štetnim rizicima, lakše im je bilo da i dalje rizikuju. Ovo me je zbunilo, ali me je učinilo i neverovatno radoznalom. Kao neko sa imenom koje bukvalno znači „istraživati znanja“, počela sam da tragam za naučnim objašnjenјem.
Now, it's no secret that teens ages 13 to 18 are more prone to risk-taking than children or adults, but what makes them so daring? Do they suddenly become reckless, or is this just a natural phase that they're going through? Well neuroscientists have already found evidence that the teen brain is still in the process of maturation -- and that this makes them exceptionally poor at decision-making, causing them to fall prey to risky behaviors. But in that case, if the maturing brain is to blame, then why are teens more vulnerable than children, even though their brains are more developed than those of children? Also, not all teens in the world take risks at the same level. Are there some other underlying or unintentional causes driving them to risk-taking? Well, this is exactly what I decided to research.
Nije tajna da su tinejdžeri starosti od 13 do 18 godina skloniji rizikovanju nego deca ili odrasli, ali šta ih čini tako odvažnim? Da li odjednom postanu nepromišljeni, ili je to samo prirodna faza kroz koju prolaze? Neuronaučnici su već pronašli dokaze da je mozak tinejdžera i dalje u procesu sazrevanja i da su zbog toga izuzetno loši u donošenju odluka, zbog čega postaju žrtve rizičnih ponašanja. U tom slučaju, ako okrivimo mozak koji je još u razvoju, zašto su onda tinejdžeri ranjiviji od dece, iako su njihovi mozgovi razvijeniji od dečijih? Takođe, ne rizikuju svi tinejdžeri na svetu na istom nivou. Postoje li neki drugi suštinski ili slučajni uzroci koji ih teraju da rizikuju? E, pa upravo to sam odlučila da istražim.
So, I founded my research on the basis of a psychological process known as "habituation," or simply what we refer to as "getting used to it." Habituation explains how our brains adapt to some behaviors, like lying, with repeated exposures. And this concept inspired me to design a project to determine if the same principle could be applied to the relentless rise of risk-taking in teenagers. So I predicted that habituation to risk-taking may have the potential to change the already-vulnerable teenage brain by blunting or even eradicating the negative emotions associated with risk, like fear or guilt. I also thought because they would feel less fearful and guilty, this desensitization would lead them to even more risk-taking. In short, I wanted to conduct a research study to answer one big question: Why do teens keep making outrageous choices that are harmful to their health and well-being?
Bazirala sam svoje istraživanje na psihološkom procesu poznatom kao „habituacija“, ili prosto ono što zovemo „navikavanje“. Habituacija objašnjava kako se naš mozak prilagođava nekim vrstama ponašanja, kao što je laganje, sa ponovljenim izlaganjima. Ovaj koncept me je inspirisao da napravim projekat da utvrdim kako isti princip može da se primeni na neumorno rizikovanje tinejdžera. Predvidela sam da habituacija kod rizikovanja može promeniti već ranjiv mozak tinejdžera ublažavajući ili čak brišući negativne emocije povezane sa rizikom, kao što su strah ili krivica. Takođe sam mislila da će ih, zbog manjeg osećaja straha i krivice, ova smanjena osetljivost navesti na još više rizikovanja. Ukratko, želela sam da sprovedem istraživanje kako bih odgovorila na jedno veliko pitanje: zašto tinejdžeri i dalje donose nezamislive odluke koje su štetne po njihovo zdravlje i blagostanje?
But there was one big obstacle in my way. To investigate this problem, I needed teenagers to experiment on, laboratories and devices to measure their brain activity, and teachers or professors to supervise me and guide me along the way. I needed resources. But, you see, I attended a high school in South Dakota with limited opportunity for scientific exploration. My school had athletics, band, choir, debate and other clubs, but there were no STEM programs or research mentors. And the notion of high schoolers doing research or participating in a science fair was completely foreign. Simply put, I didn't exactly have the ingredients to make a chef-worthy dish.
Ali imala sam jednu veliku prepreku na svom putu. Kako bih istražila ovaj problem, trebali su mi tinejdžeri za eksperiment, laboratorije i uređaji da izmerim njihovu moždanu aktivnost, nastavnici ili profesori da me nadgledaju i da me vode na tom putu. Trebala su mi sredstva. Ali, vidite, ja sam pohađala srednju školu u Južnoj Dakoti sa ograničenim mogućnostima za naučna istraživanja. Moja škola je imala sportove, bend, hor, debatni tim i druge klubove, ali nije bilo naučnog programa niti mentora za istraživanje. Ali ideja da srednjoškolci rade istraživanje ili učestvuju u naučnom sajmu je bila totalno strana. Prosto rečeno, nisam baš imala sastojke za jelo dostojno pravog kuvara.
And these obstacles were frustrating, but I was also a stubborn teenager. And as the daughter of Bangladeshi immigrants and one of just a handful of Muslim students in my high school in South Dakota, I often struggled to fit in. And I wanted to be someone with something to contribute to society, not just be deemed the scarf-wearing brown girl who was an anomaly in my homogenous hometown. I hoped that by doing this research, I could establish this and how valuable scientific exploration could be for kids like me who didn't necessarily find their niche elsewhere.
Ove prepreke su me frustrirale, ali sam bila i tvrdoglava tinejdžerka. Kao ćerka imigranata iz Bangladeša i jedna od šačice muslimanskih učenika u mojoj srednjoj školi u Južnoj Dakoti, često sam se borila da se uklopim. Želela sam da budem neko ko će nekako doprineti društvu, a ne samo tamnoputa devojčica koja nosi maramu i koja je anomalija u svom homogenom gradu. Nadala sam se da ću ovim istraživanjem moći to da utvrdim i koliko naučno istraživanje može biti važno za decu kao što sam ja, koja nisu našla svoje mesto negde drugo.
So with limited research opportunities, inventiveness allowed me to overcome seemingly impossible obstacles. I became more creative in working with a variety of methodologies, materials and subjects. I transformed my unassuming school library into a laboratory and my peers into lab rats.
Sa ograničenim mogućnostima za istraživanje, maštovitost mi je omogućila da prevaziđem naizgled nemoguće prepreke. Postala sam kreativnija u radu sa raznim metodologijama, materijalima i ispitanicima. Pretvorila sam skromnu školsku biblioteku u laboratoriju, a svoje vršnjake u zamorce.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
My enthusiastic geography teacher, who also happens to be my school's football coach, ended up as my cheerleader, becoming my mentor to sign necessary paperwork. And when it became logistically impossible to use a laboratory electroencephalography, or EEG, which are those electrode devices used to measure emotional responses, I bought a portable EEG headset with my own money, instead of buying the new iPhone X that a lot of kids my age were saving up for.
Moj entuzijastični profesor geografije, koji je ujedno i školski trener ragbija, je postao moj navijač, ali i mentor koji je potpisivao neophodnu dokumentaciju. Kada je postalo logistički nemoguće koristiti laboratorijsku elektroencelografiju, ili EEG, tj. uređaj sa elektrodama koji meri emocionalne reakcije, svojim novcem sam kupila prenosivu EEG opremu, umesto novog telefona iPhone X za koji mnoga deca mojih godina štedi.
So finally I started the research with 86 students, ages 13 to 18, from my high school. Using the computer cubicles in my school library, I had them complete a computerized decision-making simulation to measure their risk-taking behaviors comparable to ones in the real world, like alcohol use, drug use and gambling. Wearing the EEG headset, the students completed the test 12 times over three days to mimic repeated risk exposures. A control panel on the EEG headset measured their various emotional responses: like attention, interest, excitement, frustration, guilt, stress levels and relaxation. They also rated their emotions on well-validated emotion-measuring scales. This meant that I had measured the process of habituation and its effects on decision-making. And it took 29 days to complete this research. And with months of frantically drafting proposals, meticulously computing data in a caffeinated daze at 2am, I was able to finalize my results. And the results showed that habituation to risk-taking could actually change a teen's brain by altering their emotional levels, causing greater risk-taking. The students' emotions that were normally associated with risks, like fear, stress, guilt and nervousness, as well as attention, were high when they were first exposed to the risk simulator. This curbed their temptations and enforced self-control, which prevented them from taking more risks. However, the more they were exposed to the risks through the simulator, the less fearful, guilty and stressed they became. This caused a situation in which they were no longer able to feel the brain's natural fear and caution instincts. And also, because they are teenagers and their brains are still underdeveloped, they became more interested and excited in thrill-seeking behaviors.
Konačno sam započela istraživanje sa 86 učenika iz svoje srednje škole, starosti od 13 do 18 godina. Koristeći računare u školskoj biblioteci, dala sam im da urade kompjuterizovanu simulaciju donošenja odluka kako bih merila njihova rizična ponašanja u odnosu na ona u stvarnom životu, kao što su upotreba alkohola, droga i kockanje. Noseći EEG opremu, učenici su radili test 12 puta u toku tri dana kako bi imitirali periodična izlaganja riziku. Kontrolna ploča na EEG opremi je merila njihove različite emocionalne odgovore kao što su pažnja, interesovanje, uzbuđenje, frustracija, krivica, nivo stresa i opuštenost. Oni su takođe ocenili svoje emocije na odobrenoj skali za merenje emocija. To je značilo da sam merila proces habituacije i njene efekte na donošenje odluka. Trebalo je 29 dana da završim istraživanje. Nakon što sam mesecima mahnito pravila nacrte predloga, detaljno izračunavala podatke u kofeinskom bunilu u dva ujutru, uspela sam da završim rezultate. I oni su pokazali da habituacija kod rizikovanja može zapravo promeniti mozak tinejdžera menjajući njihove emocionalne nivoe, izazivajući još veće rizikovanje. Emocije učenika koje su inače povezane sa rizicima, kao što su strah, stres, krivica i nervoza, kao i pažnja, su bile na visokom nivou kada su prvi put bili izloženi simulatoru rizika. Ovo je ograničilo njihovo iskušenje i pojačalo samokontrolu, što ih je sprečilo da i dalje rizikuju. Ipak, što su više bili izloženi rizicima kroz simulator, osećali su manje straha, krivice i nervoze. Ovo je dovelo do situacije u kojoj nisu više mogli da osećaju prirodan strah mozga i instinkt opreza. Takođe, pošto su to tinejdžeri i mozgovi im još nisu potpuno razvijeni, u njima se probudilo više interesovanja i oduševljenja u vezi sa uzbudljivim aktivnostima.
So what were the consequences? They lacked self-control for logical decision-making, took greater risks and made more harmful choices. So the developing brain alone isn't to blame. The process of habituation also plays a key role in risk-taking and risk escalation. Although a teen's willingness to seek risk is largely a result of the structural and functional changes associated with their developing brains, the dangerous part that my research was able to highlight was that a habituation to risks can actually physically change a teen's brain and cause greater risk-taking. So it's the combination of the immature teen brain and the impact of habituation that is like a perfect storm to create more damaging effects. And this research can help parents and the general public understand that teens aren't just willfully ignoring warnings or simply defying parents by engaging in increasingly more dangerous behavior. The biggest hurdle they're facing is their habituation to risks: all the physical, detectable and emotional functional changes that drive and control and influence their over-the-top risk-taking.
Kakve su bile posledice? Nedostajalo im je samokontrole za logičko donošenje odluka, izlagali su se većem riziku i donosili štetnije odluke. Tako da ne možemo samo kriviti mozak koji je još u razvoju. Proces habituacije takođe igra ključnu ulogu u rizikovanju i eskalaciji rizika. Iako je spremnost tinejdžera na rizik u velikoj meri rezultat strukturalnih i funkcionalnih promena povezanih sa njihovim mozgovima u razvoju, opasni deo koji je naglasilo moje istraživanje je da habituacija kod rizika zapravo može fizički da promeni mozak tinejdžera i da izazove još veće rizikovanje. Dakle, u pitanju je kombinacija nezrelog tinejdžerskog mozga i uticaja habituacije koja kao savršena oluja ostavlja štetnije efekte. Ovo istraživanje može pomoći roditeljima i javnosti da razumeju da tinejdžeri ne ignorišu upozorenja voljno ili prosto prkose roditeljima učestvujući u sve opasnijim načinima ponašanja. Najveća prepreka na koju nailaze je habituacija kod rizikovanja: sve fizičke, primetne i emocionalne funkcionalne promene koje upravljaju, kontrolišu i utiču na njihovo preterano izlaganje riziku.
So yes, we need policies that provide safer environments and limit exposures to high risks, but we also need policies that reflect this insight. These results are a wake-up call for teens, too. It shows them that the natural and necessary fear and guilt that protect them from unsafe situations actually become numb when they repeatedly choose risky behaviors.
Da, trebaju nam zakoni koji omogućavaju bezbedniju okolinu i ograničavaju izlaganje visokom riziku, ali nam isto tako trebaju zakoni koji odražavaju ovaj uvid. Ovi rezultati su upozorenje i za tinejdžere. Pokazuju da prirodni i neophodni strah i krivica koji nas štite od nebezbednih situacija zapravo otupe kada oni uporno biraju riskantne načine ponašanja.
So with this hope to share my findings with fellow teenagers and scientists, I took my research to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, or ISEF, a culmination of over 1,800 students from 75 countries, regions and territories, who showcase their cutting-edge research and inventions. It's like the Olympics of science fair.
Sa nadom da podelim moja saznanja sa drugarima tinejdžerima i naučnicima, odnela sam svoje istraživanje na Intelov međunarodni sajam nauke i inženjerstva, ili ISEF, koji je dostigao broj od preko 1800 studenata iz 75 zemalja, regiona i teritorija, koji predstavljaju svoja najnovija istraživanja i pronalaske. To je kao olimpijada naučnih sajmova.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
There, I was able to present my research to experts in neuroscience and psychology and garner valuable feedback. But perhaps the most memorable moment of the week was when the booming speakers suddenly uttered my name during the awards ceremony. I was in such disbelief that I questioned myself: Was this just another "La La Land" blunder like at the Oscars?
Tamo sam predstavila svoje istraživanje stručnjacima u neuronaukama i psihologiji i sakupila važne informacije. Ali možda najnezaboravniji trenutak nedelje bio je kada su glasni zvučnici iznenada objavili moje ime tokom ceremonije dodele nagrada. Bila sam u tolikoj neverici da sam se pitala: „Da li je ovo samo još jedna greška kao sa filmom „La La Land“ na Oskaru?“
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
Luckily, it wasn't. I really had won first place in the category "Behavioral and Social Sciences."
Srećom, nije bila. Stvarno sam osvojila prvo mesto u kategoriji „bihejvioralne i društvene nauke.“
(Applause)
(Aplauz)
Needless to say, I was not only thrilled to have this recognition, but also the whole experience of science fair that validated my efforts keeps my curiosity alive and strengthens my creativity, perseverance and imagination. This still image of me experimenting in my school library may seem ordinary, but to me, it represents a sort of inspiration. It reminds me that this process taught me to take risks. And I know that might sound incredibly ironic. But I took risks realizing that unforeseen opportunities often come from risk-taking -- not the hazardous, negative type that I studied, but the good ones, the positive risks.
Suvišno je reći da ne samo da sam bila uzbuđena što sam dobila ovo priznanje, nego celo to iskustvo sajma nauke koje je uvažilo moje napore održava moju radoznalost i ojačava moju kreativnost, istrajnost i maštovitost. Ova slika mene kako eksperimentišem u svojoj školskoj biblioteci možda deluje uobičajeno, ali za mene, ona predstavlja neku vrstu inspiracije. Podseća me da me je ovaj proces naučio da rizikujem. Znam da to može zvučati neverovatno ironično. Ali, rizikovala sam shvatajući da nepredviđene prilike često dobijamo iz rizika - ne od onih opasnih, negativnih koje sam ja proučavala, nego dobrih, pozitivnih rizika.
The more risks I took, the more capable I felt of withstanding my unconventional circumstances, leading to more tolerance, resilience and patience for completing my project. And these lessons have led me to new ideas like: Is the opposite of negative risk-taking also true? Can positive risk-taking escalate with repeated exposures? Does positive action build positive brain functioning?
Što sam više rizikovala, bila sam sve sposobnija da podnesem svoje neobične okolnosti, što je dovelo do više tolerancije, otpornosti i strpljenja za završetak projekta. Ove lekcije su me dovele do novih ideja kao što su: da li isto važi za suprotno od negativnog rizikovanja? Može li pozitivno rizikovanje eskalirati sa ponovljenim izlaganjem? Da li pozitivne radnje dovode do pozitivnog funkcionisanja mozga?
I think I just might have my next research idea.
Mislim da sam upravo dobila ideju za naredno istraživanje.
(Applause)
(Aplauz)