--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Over time, researchers who look at the…" description: "\"“Over time, researchers who look at the adolescent brain have therefore alighted on a variety of metaphors and analogies to describe their excesses. Ca..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/781/jennifer-senior-12574_science_over-time-researchers-who-look-at-the-ad_3190526.jpg" --- # Over time, researchers who look at the adolescent brain… ![“Over time, researchers who look at the adolescent brain have therefore alighted on a variety of metaphors and analogies to describe their excesses. Casey prefers Star Trek: “Teenagers are more Kirk than Spock.” Steinberg likens teenagers to cars with powerful accelerators and weak brakes. “And…” quote by Jennifer Senior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/781/jennifer-senior-12574_science_over-time-researchers-who-look-at-the-ad_3190526.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/781/jennifer-senior-12574_science_over-time-researchers-who-look-at-the-ad_3190526.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/781/jennifer-senior-12574_science_over-time-researchers-who-look-at-the-ad_3190526.jpg) > ““Over time, researchers who look at the adolescent brain have therefore alighted on a variety of metaphors and analogies to describe their excesses. Casey prefers Star Trek: “Teenagers are more Kirk than Spock.” Steinberg likens teenagers to cars with powerful accelerators and weak brakes. “And then parents are going to get into tussles with their teenagers,” says Steinberg, “because they’re going to try to be the brakes.”” [Jennifer Senior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-senior/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Researchers compare teenage behavior to fast cars with weak brakes, highlighting impulsivity and the parental role of imposing limits. **In simple terms:** Teenagers act impulsively; parents must set boundaries. Key Takeaway Provide guidance while respecting teen autonomy. Themes adolescence impulsivity parenting control Mood analytical concerned Type explanatory observational When to use this quote - parent‑teen negotiations - school discipline policies - driving education programs Key Concepts developmental psychology metaphor behavioral science Questions to Reflect On - How can parents effectively act as “brakes” without stifling growth? - What societal structures help manage teenage impulsivity? A Different Perspective Parents may struggle to balance freedom and safety; teens resist control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Teenagers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teenagers/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [“Neuroscience research tells us that the adolescent brain is primed for the acquisition of new skills. 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Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [the teenage zone: the stage when an adolescent's brain synapses quit firing while the rest of their body races toward adulthood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-freeman/the-teenage-zone-the-stage-when-an-adolescent-s-brain-synapses-quit/) [Becky Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-freeman/) > [“Over a period of 10 to 12 years, beginning around puberty, the plasticity of the adolescent brain allows for rewiring. What the final wiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-guare/over-a-period-of-10-to-12-years-beginning-around-puberty-the/) [Richard Guare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-guare/) > [“But in reality the brain is about circuits, about the patterns of functional connectivity among regions. The growing myelination of the adolescent brain shows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/but-in-reality-the-brain-is-about-circuits-about-the-patterns-of/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“In fact, his adult brain acted like his adolescent brain used to. It stopped functioning. All it wanted to do was wrap itself around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-laurenston/in-fact-his-adult-brain-acted-like-his-adolescent-brain-used-to-it/) [Shelly Laurenston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-laurenston/) > [“To highlight these issues of development in the adolescent brain, a recent article in Parade magazine compared the teenage brain to a Ferrari. 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Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-k-williams/) > [When we're growing up and being teenagers, oftentimes you try so hard to define yourself. You try to create an image of yourself because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amandla-stenberg/when-we-re-growing-up-and-being-teenagers-oftentimes-you-try-so-hard/) [Amandla Stenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amandla-stenberg/) > [Teenagers are a nightmare. It starts at 11 and gets worse. You ask a question and get no, no, no in response but then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-redman/teenagers-are-a-nightmare-it-starts-at-11-and-gets-worse-you-ask-a/) [Amanda Redman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-redman/) > [Teenagers are very dark, I think. That's all the goth and emo stuff. They're experiencing a lot of stuff that adults experience, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-rosoff/teenagers-are-very-dark-i-think-that-s-all-the-goth-and-emo-stuff/) [Meg Rosoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-rosoff/) > [Teenagers complain there's nothing to do, then stay out all night doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-phillips/teenagers-complain-there-s-nothing-to-do-then-stay-out-all-night/) [Bob Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-phillips/) > [Teenagers: The most misunderstood people on earth. Treated like children and expected to act like adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/teenagers-the-most-misunderstood-people-on-earth-treated-like/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Jennifer Senior > [“SOME OF THE HARDEST parts of parenting never change—like sleep deprivation, which, according to researchers at Queen’s University in Ontario, can in some respects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-senior/some-of-the-hardest-parts-of-parenting-never-change-like-sleep/) [Jennifer Senior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-senior/) > [“Dying, in other words — like combat, like becoming a parent, like any transformative life event — doesn’t always reveal or intensify aspects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-senior/dying-in-other-words-like-combat-like-becoming-a-parent-like-any/) [Jennifer Senior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-senior/) > [“Our stories may not always be pleasant as they’re being lived. 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