New study reveals that witnessing violence harms the brains of older teens
CANDLE researchers have found that teens who engage in more “transcendent thinking,” that is thinking that moves beyond reacting to the specifics of social situations to also consider broader ethical, personal and societal implications, can counteract the negative impacts exposure to violence has on their brain development. The study built on an earlier one by Immordino-Yang that showed the disturbing link between adolescents’ exposure to violence in their community and their brain development.
In both studies, MRI brain scans of teens who grew up in communities with high levels of violence showed thinner cortex in parts of the brain that are involved in feeling stress and pain as well as motivation, judgment and emotional processing. These latest findings from CANDLE researchers show that teens who think about social issues and violence in more reflective ways show greater resilience to the effects of violence exposure on their brain development.
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