Parents Must Read! Surprising Facts About Teenagers Have Been Revealed

• comments
• 
• 

Stroppy, smelly and inseparably attached to smartphones, these are just some of the characteristics of what teenagers are. But a recent study shows deeper connection on how makes a teenager be a teenager.

According to Mail Online, a new research has revealed fascinating characteristics. Based from the result, one of the worst teenage traits is the lingering scent of stale sweat. Researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark found out that teenagers are not just ignoring the pungent smell; in fact they cannot even smell them.

The study was conducted to test the common odors of the 400 participants. Results show that one in seven youngsters ages between 13 and 18 cannot recognize the smell of sweat.

Aside from this, the result also shows that with the help of the increased levels of sex hormones, teenagers do grow fast. Boys grows up by 9 centimeters a year starting between 14 and 15 years old and girls by 8 centimeters a year between 12 and 13 years old, requiring a lot of adjustments specially to shoes and clothes they wear. Hands and feet are the first to expand and followed by the shin bones, thighs, forearms and upper arms.

Moreover, sex hormones (testosterone and estrogen) also contributes mood swings and obsessions to sex. Adolescents of both genders have shown to think a lot about sex every six seconds - that is 600 times an hour and approximately 9,000 times in a waking day.

As part of the development, teenagers do not see dangers. Scientists have found out that their brains are still working through the process. Human brain is not fully formed until long after adolescence at 20 years of age for girls and 24 years for boys.

These changes disrupt the development of the pre-frontal cortex. Anita Cleare, aparenting expert, explains that "the regions associated with planning and decision-making are finished last, which means the part of the brain used to weigh up risks and make balanced decisions is only half-built."

However, Philip Graham, a professor of psychiatry, believes that even if hormonal and physical changes are occurring, teenagers are not risky. In his statement in the Prospect Magazine, "teenagers need to be acknowledged as potentially productive members of the society, and that more independence and respect are given, the more they will rise to challenge."

Graham explains that young people ages 14,15 or 16 are thought to be risk-takers for they are experimenting. They try to make things for the first time and they make mistakes. "Once young people reach of 14, their competence in cognitive tasks and their sexual maturity make it more helpful to think of them as young adults," Graham added. "These people are just beginning something."

Other findings also claimed that teenagers have more time sleeping. They are insensitive to the emotions of others and are more prone to addiction but quickly to adopt change. Also, girls use twice as many words than boys and both sexes have long-lasting impressions on their first love.