Making sense of life

Brain development continues into adulthood. From 16 years old onwards, the brain is developing a capacity to think logically and rationally in an adult way.

Physically, the limbic system is still maturing, supporting the processing of thoughts and emotions. Unlike in earlier adolescence though where the young person’s emotions can be overwhelming, the frontal lobe continues to develop and make connections, or synapses into early adulthood. This supports the ability to reason and to analyse situations more fully. This helps to modify the more erratic, risk taking behaviour seen in younger adolescents, who tend to act without thinking. Older adolescents tend to assess a situation and its dangers more fully.  

The ability to consider the consequences prior to undertaking a planned action can also mean that plans are abandoned in favour of an improved set of actions to achieve the required goal. Development of the frontal lobe is typically not fully complete until the person is in their early twenties.