#prefrontal-cortex

#prefrontal-cortex

There are lots of reasons why relationships fall apart; all kinds of incompatibilities can doom romance. Some are trivial, but occasionally there might be something more profound at the root of an estrangement. Recently, the concept of the "frontal lobe breakup" appeared in popular culture. The idea is that the final stage of development in the executive regions of the brain-the frontal lobes-changes someone's perspective about their relationship. The onset of advanced cognitive skills in one partner creates a gap in maturity too big to bridge.

A few weeks ago, a viral tweet perfectly captured a phenomenon familiar to many of us. The post ― a response to someone's question "what's your biggest ick about yourself?" ― read simply: "i can be really mean when i'm overstimulated." Judging by the retweets, it seems 55,000 people could relate. If you've ever snapped at your partner after a bad day, or had an outburst during a frustrating call with a customer service agent, you may understand the meaning behind the tweet. We're not exactly at our best in moments like these, but they're part of the human response to being overstimulated.

The problem is not just social media, but rather the quick "hits" of news, entertainment, and other information we experience all day long. These short bites, without context, are diminishing our prefrontal neural networks and affecting our ability to plan, organize, and solve problems. Teens who think they understand an issue because they've seen a 15-second video about it have not only missed the news, but they've missed the opportunity to understand context, evaluate sources, and draw conclusions. And it's damaging their brains along the way.