You’re talking to your friends at lunch and bring up a movie you really like. Your friends laugh and talk about how bad the movie is. On the inside, you disagree, but you decide to go along with your friends and make fun of the movie.
This is a phenomenon often known as peer pressure; however, it can be more correctly referred to as peer influence. According to headsup.scholastic.com, peer influence can be defined as “social influence to adopt a particular type of behavior, dress or attitude in order to be accepted as part of a group of your equals.”
While “peer influence” can be either good or bad, “peer pressure” is negative and high-stress peer influence.
As teens, we tend to be more susceptible to peer influence, for several reasons. One reason is the fact that we are starting to spend increasing amounts of time with our friends. The second reason involves science.
It may seem as if decisions are made instantaneously, but this isn’t the case. When we make choices, it is actually a set of events occurring in the brain. However, the way decisions are made in the brains of teens are a little bit different than the way they are made in adults’ brains.
In the brain, a part called the limbic system controls our emotional responses. Another portion of the brain, the prefrontal cortex, controls thinking ahead and weighing risks and rewards. Since the limbic system fully develops before the prefrontal cortex, teens are more likely to act on feelings and whims than on logic until their early 20s, which is typically when the brain fully develops.
Due to the way teens’ brains are wired, adolescents have a tendency to think about the instantaneous consequences of a decision, rather than the big picture, according to Laurence Steinberg, a researcher at Temple University in Philadelphia.
A study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse concluded teens more than double the risks they take when they are around their friends. It’s a scientifically proven fact that it is harder for teens to control impulses when they are in a social setting than when they are alone, adding to the effects of social influence.
However, peer influence can be positive. A teen can be motivated to by their friends to make good choices, such as volunteering or joining a club or team. But even if the peer influence turns into peer pressure, it’s still possible to resist it and make the right decision, though it may be hard. Your friends may attempt to influence your actions, but ultimately, it’s always up to you to decide what you want to do with your life.
