Kashfia Rahman: How risk-taking changes a teenager's brain
كاشيفا رحمن: كيف يغيّر خوضُ المخاطر دماغ المراهق
Kashfia Rahman studies psychology, cognitive science and global health policy at Harvard University. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
to understand a teenager?
that some teens do well in school,
المراهقين الماهرين في الدراسة
for an online challenge,
من أجل مراهنة على الإنترنت،
أثناء القيادة بسرعة،
with illicit drugs.
be so smart, skilled and responsible --
وموهوبين ومتحملين للمسئولية...
في ذات الوقت؟
my peers in person
took such crazy risks.
يخاطرون بجنون.
from DARE class in the fifth grade
في امتحانات الصف الخامس
themselves to these harmful risks,
to continue taking risks.
"to explore knowledge,"
for a scientific explanation.
that teens ages 13 to 18
than children or adults,
أكثر من الأطفال والبالغين
that they're going through?
have already found evidence
is still in the process of maturation --
لم يزل بعدُ في عملية النضج...
exceptionally poor at decision-making,
في ضعف عن اتخاذ القرار،
to risky behaviors.
if the maturing brain is to blame,
إذا كان المحك هو النضوج،
more vulnerable than children,
أكثر هشاشةً من الأطفال،
are more developed than those of children?
take risks at the same level.
لا يخاطرون جميعاً بدرجة واحدة.
or unintentional causes
what I decided to research.
on the basis of a psychological process
as "getting used to it."
adapt to some behaviors,
بعض السلوكيات،
to design a project
rise of risk-taking in teenagers.
الذي يزيد من المخاطرة عند المراهقين.
habituation to risk-taking
the already-vulnerable teenage brain
لدى المراهق
associated with risk,
would feel less fearful and guilty,
to even more risk-taking.
لخوض غمار مزيد من المخاطر.
a research study
outrageous choices
اتخاذ الخيارات الموحشة
to their health and well-being?
to measure their brain activity,
and guide me along the way.
a high school in South Dakota
ثانوية بـولاية "داكوتا الجنوبية"
for scientific exploration.
ونشاطات أخرى،
or research mentors.
العلمية "STEM"، ولا مراقبون بحثيون.
in a science fair was completely foreign.
كانت غريبة تماماً.
have the ingredients
of Bangladeshi immigrants
of Muslim students
"داكوتا الجنوبية"،
with something to contribute to society,
بالساهمة بشيء في المجتمع،
the scarf-wearing brown girl
ذات بشرة خمرية مُحجبة،
in my homogenous hometown.
could be for kids like me
متاحاً للصّغار مثلي
find their niche elsewhere.
seemingly impossible obstacles.
العوائق المستحيلة.
with a variety of methodologies,
my school's football coach,
to sign necessary paperwork.
electroencephalography,
(رسم المخ)
used to measure emotional responses,
لقياس الاستجابات الشعورية،
with my own money,
على نفقتي الخاصة،
were saving up for.
ages 13 to 18, from my high school.
من مدرستي الثانوية.
in my school library,
decision-making simulation
عملية اتخاذ قرار
comparable to ones in the real world,
بما عليه الحال في الواقع
12 times over three days
على مدار 3 أيام
emotional responses:
excitement, frustration,
والحماسة، والإحباط،
emotion-measuring scales.
the process of habituation
عملية التعود
to complete this research.
drafting proposals,
في صياغة المقترحات
in a caffeinated daze at 2am,
وحتى الساعة الثانية صباحاً
that habituation to risk-taking
by altering their emotional levels,
عن طريق تغيير مستويات حالتهم الشعورية،
that were normally associated with risks,
المرتبطة بصورة اعتيادية بالمخاطرة،
والشعور بالذنب، والعصبية،
exposed to the risk simulator.
تعرضوا لمحاكِي مخاطرة.
and enforced self-control,
وقوّى من ثباتهم النفسي،
from taking more risks.
to the risks through the simulator,
كانوا كلما تعرضوا لمخاطِر في المُحاكِي،
and stressed they became.
fear and caution instincts.
and their brains are still underdeveloped,
وأدمغتهم في سبيلها بعدُ إلى النموّ،
in thrill-seeking behaviors.
وتمحور سلوكهم في السعي للإثارة.
for logical decision-making,
لاتخاذ قرار منطقي،
isn't to blame.
also plays a key role in risk-taking
في الميْـل إلى المخاطرة
لدى المراهق
and functional changes
نتاج التغيّرات البنائية والوظيفية
that my research was able to highlight
قد أبرز أن
change a teen's brain
أن يغيّر عقل المراهق
نحو اتخاذ مخاطرَ أكبر.
of the immature teen brain
to create more damaging effects.
من شأنها أن تُخلّـف آثار دمارٍ هائلةٍ.
and the general public
وعموم الناس
willfully ignoring warnings
يتعّمدون تجاهل التحذيرات
in increasingly more dangerous behavior.
بالانخراط أكثر في سلوكيات خطيرة.
is their habituation to risks:
الاعتياد على خوض المخاطر:
and emotional functional changes
والنفسية تتغير،
their over-the-top risk-taking.
أبعد وأقصى من المخاطرة
that provide safer environments
تمددنا بمناخ آمن
that reflect this insight.
تعكس هذه النظرة.
a wake-up call for teens, too.
لتنبيه كل المراهقين.
and necessary fear and guilt
بالخوف والشعور بالذنب عند معدلاته الطبيعية
في مواقف غير آمنة
repeatedly choose risky behaviors.
المخاطرة مراراً وتكراراً
with fellow teenagers and scientists,
مع زملائي المراهقين ومع علماء،
Science and Engineering Fair, or ISEF,
regions and territories,
research and inventions.
to experts in neuroscience and psychology
في عِلم الأعصاب وعلم النفس
memorable moment of the week
suddenly uttered my name
that I questioned myself:
لدرجة أني شككت في نفسي:
لفيلم "لا لا لاند"
and Social Sciences."
to have this recognition,
من هذا التقدير والعرفان
of science fair that validated my efforts
في مسابقة العلوم التي صدّقت على مجهوداتي
experimenting in my school library
مدرستي
a sort of inspiration.
من الإلهام.
taught me to take risks.
في إكسابي فن خوض المخاطر.
incredibly ironic.
often come from risk-taking --
قد تأتي على الأغلب من المخاطرة...
negative type that I studied,
التي درستها،
my unconventional circumstances,
لظروفي مهما كانت غير ملائمة،
resilience and patience
والصبر والمثابرة
have led me to new ideas
قادتني إلى فكرة جديدة
of negative risk-taking also true?
escalate with repeated exposures?
مع التعرض للتكرار المستمر؟
build positive brain functioning?
إيجابية وظائف الدماغ؟
my next research idea.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Kashfia Rahman - Psychology researcherKashfia Rahman studies psychology, cognitive science and global health policy at Harvard University.
Why you should listen
The daughter of Bangladeshi immigrants, Kashfia Rahman grew up as a minority in a homogenous community in Brookings, South Dakota. When she was in high school, she noticed her peers frequently succumbing to risky behaviors as well as the ruthless burdens of stress and peer pressure. Working directly on peers at her school, she dedicated research to studying the neuroscientific and psychological processes underlying these behaviors, and how the environment plays a role in emotion-processing and cognitive functioning in teens. With the hopes of raising awareness to minimize the potential for engaging in harmful behaviors, she took her research to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, a culmination of 1,800 students from over 75 countries sometimes described as the "Olympics of science fairs." For her research projects, she was awarded first place in her category as well as was recognized by the National Institutes on Drug Abuse and the American Psychological Association.
Rahman is also a Google Science Fair finalist and a Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholar. Featured in the National Geographic documentary Science Fair for her dedication to science research, Rahman is passionate about sharing her pathway to research and strives to expand the platform for marginalized and disempowered voices. She is also interested in bridging the gender and racial gap in the field of STEM and in advocating for healthy environments to improve teens' behavioral and mental health.
Kashfia Rahman | Speaker | TED.com