Giving to others and neural processing during adolescence

Age-related changes in ventrolateral prefrontal cortex activation are associated with daily prosocial behaviors two years later

“…At the neural level, we found decreases in vlPFC activation when adolescents donated their time across age. The vlPFC is involved in regulatory processing, and is thought to be involved in prosocial behaviors by discriminating self-motivated and prosocial intentions and subsequently overriding selfish intentions with the need to help others ( Karan et al, 2022 , Telzer et al, 2011 ). Thus, developmental decreases in the amount of time donated may be supported by the decreasing neurocognitive processing of cognitive and behavioral regulation during time donations.…”

“…A rich body of prior work has shown an upsurge in prosocial behaviors during adolescence ( Grütter and Buchmann, 2022 , Güroğlu et al, 2014 , Padilla-Walker et al, 2018 ). Supported by increases in perspective-taking and empathy during adolescence, this rise is seen across multiple domains: adolescents engage in more prosocial behaviors regardless of whether that behavior involves a close other or a stranger, and even when that behavior can occur at a cost to oneself ( Crone et al, 2008 , Karan et al, 2022 , Padilla-Walker et al, 2018 , Van der Graaff et al, 2018 ). By contrast, there is also evidence for prosocial behaviors decreasing during this time ( Carlo et al, 2007 , Luengo Kanacri et al, 2013 , Taylor et al, 2018 ).…”

“…Though not studied in the context of community-based behaviors, increases in VS activation during vicarious joy processing are linked to increases in monetary donation to charities in adolescents, demonstrating that changing neural processing of other-oriented reward may help explain adolescents’ increasing prosocial behaviors ( Spaans et al, 2023 ). Similarly, there are dlPFC, vlPFC, dmPFC, TPJ, posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) activation changes during prosocial giving to family, friends, and strangers from childhood to adolescence, highlighting these regions as potential regions that also support the development of community-based prosocial behaviors ( Do et al, 2019 , Karan et al, 2022 ; but see van de Groep et al, 2022 ).…”

Young people need experiences that boost their mental health

“…And various studies indicate that, whether young people are helping their families with chores or through financial contributions, providing emotional support to friends or volunteering in their communities, they seem to be primed to contribute in many ways [9][10][11] .…”

Puberty initiates a unique stage of social learning and development prior to adulthood: Insights from studies of adolescence in wild chimpanzees

“…Yet, equally important, is understanding how this formative period of learning also creates a window of opportunity. Adolescence can be a critical time to support healthy, adaptive learning, resilience, and positive social development ( Dahl et al, 2018 , Orben et al, 2020 Duell et al, 2022 , Fuligni and Galván, 2022 , Karan et al, 2022 ).…”