What were you thinking? Inside the adolescent brain

by Dina Temple-Raston

Parents, or 12-24 year old selves; this intrepidly reported, six-part audio show hosted by NPR journalist Dina Temple-Raston, discover the new science that reveals how the brains of 12-to-24-year-olds are literally hard-wired to make dumb decisions, and meet a teenage jihadist who is living with the terrible consequences of immature decision-making.

Available as Audible or Apple podcast in 6 parts

Declared “a must-listen for every parent" by The Washington Post, the full series is available now .

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, Psychology, Science, True Crime, Journalism, Education

Audible Audio

Published December 1, 2017

About the author

Dina Temple-Raston is a Belgian-born American journalist and award-winning author. She is the creator, host, and correspondent of the podcast "What Were You Thinking,"

Reviews

[Angie Dokos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone knows the teen years are rough. This helps explain how the brain works in teens and young adults vs adults. Understanding more about how the brain works can hopefully help people have more patience and stop harshly judging others. I hope we can all learn more and teach our children more. I hope we can all stop and think before making decisions. Actions have consequences, we need to train our brains more carefully. And we all need people that we can talk to and open up to about things, especially teenagers. They need strong supportive people to help guide them to make the right decisions. And sometimes, they just need someone to listen.

This was interesting and helpful in my opinion. It does get emotional. Some of the stories will break your heart. I hope it helps raise awareness and helps educate more people.

[Elaine Mullane || Elaine and the Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up.

This was a quick and interesting listen; well conceived and executed. It basically looks at the developing teenage brain (in comparison to a fully-formed adult's brain) and uses the findings to offer suggestions for why some teenagers get into the situations they do.

The cases studies they present cover broad topics and are shocking: a teenager who joins ISIS; a suicide cluster in Colorado Springs; a troubled teen who plans a school shooting. These troubled adolescents have one thing in common: they all made astonishing, inexplicable and sometimes fatal choices in their lives, subsequently affecting the lives of those who know and love them.

A fascinating exploration of the teenage psyche, also covering the latest research on adolescent brains and suggestions on innovative ways to help teenagers choose more wisely. Temple-Raston is a knowledgeable and clear interviewer and her findings would be of interest to parents, educators, those interested in psychology and teenagers themselves. A solid listen.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting

[Jo Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a set of six 30 minute episodes of things that have happened to adolescents making bad choices. The consequences of those choices carrying into adulthood when as an adolescent it didn't seem that bad at the time. It also presents some ideas to help adolescents learn to make more thoughtful choices. I really enjoyed this. I have been interested in neuroscience and the author interviews quite a few scientists whose work I've already come across. This is definitely worth the listen. We definitely need to teach them more and sooner, but I don't see much change coming anytime soon. It did talk about school shootings, suicide clusters, gaming, terrorist recruitment, hacking, and the last section was on mindfulness and neuroplasticity. Being aware of how the brain works is helping some people change the way they think and enabling them to react differently. There are some moments that could become pretty emotional for some listeners but there are warnings before these sections.

[Tara Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

**This review is for Episode 5 of the What Were You Thinking? series on Audible.**

Episode 5 of the What Were You Thinking? series, titled You Are Not Alone by Dina Temple-Raston, was an excellent listen. Being a high school teacher of 20 years, I found this topic (school shootings, bullying, ... ) to be relevant and so very real. While the episode centers around the shooters of the Columbine tragedy, listeners from NY to CA, will find the content thought-provoking, necessary, and informative. You also get to hear from Sue Kleibold, the mother of Columbine shooter Dylan Kleibold, in the second half, which was very interesting. From educators and administrators to members of the community, this episode definitely opens the floor to discussion on a variety of issues that we are faced with today. Don't miss this one! :-)

Thank you for reading my review. I hope it was helpful.

[Doug Trani · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well conceived and perfectly executed NPR production that blends the latest research in neuroscience with the real-life experiences of adolescents and young adults who have made disastrous choices regarding common issues such as bullying, suicide, school shootings, computer hacking, and international terrorism. Best of all, the series provides hope for the future by highlighting efforts being made by individuals and organizations, both in the USA and abroad, to develop interventions and programs designed to provide individuals with the support and tools needed to avoid making the poor choices that result in catastrophic consequences.

[Adam Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I thought every chapter (episode) was informative and insightful. It’s a good look into the workings of a teenager’s mind. But I don’t think the overarching idea is one that I agree with. I don’t believe that every action taken by anyone can be wholly attributed to adolescent brain development. I kind of had a feeling this series would take that sort of bend though as it’s written by an NPR reporter.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a "This American Life" style radio show where they interview adults who did something bad as a teen and then look into the brain science as to why they may have made the decisions they did. It's pretty fascinating but also kind of fluffy and directionless at times. All in all, worth a listen especially for parents.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty ho-hum stuff that follows the radio-feature/podcast formula closely (catchy music between sections, short sound byte interviews, soothing voiceover carrying the overall thesis) but doesn’t really offer anything that hasn’t already been thoroughly raked over. Still, it’s free, and it’s a good starting point for those with a tangential interest in adolescent behaviour.

[X · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first episode was absolutely fascinating, the others dealt with less-fascinating and more overdone topics when it comes to adolescent controversies (suicide, school shootings, and hacking), but looked at it from more of a psychological and scientific viewpoint than coverage on these issues usually does, so it was still worth a listen.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone raising preadolescents and teenagers up to age 24 will gain insights in what the development of this age groups brain is going through and what support is needed for a healthy transition from child to adult requires.

[Valeria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great listen. It brought new perspective to issues that don't really get discussed from all points of views. I found this to be fascinating and intriguing. I would definitely recommend to listen to it.

[Louise Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

an interesting and thoughtful series on how it can go so very wrong with developing brains and how society should be responding to this very preventable crisis and how some communities/societies are responding and reducing the damage.

[osoordinary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fantastic! The adolescent brain is fascinating and each of these episodes focuses on different aspects of the brain and how experience influence and affect decision making. Very interesting. Check it out!

[Anke Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not learn anything new in some regards as much was covered in recent books I read BUT the part I love about this series is the interviews and input by people facing the different obstacles and challenges. I especially loved the frankness from teenagers and their insight.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Some very interesting stories and links made, with the science given in an easy to understand format for a lay person. I really liked that it included various countries even though it’s an American work. Thought it trailed off a little towards the end (the last episode).

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy crap!! Amazing stories backed by science

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, really interesting interviews and insights. Definitely got me thinking,

[Rosewhitekrw · Rating 3 out of 5]

enlightening

[Beth Lecroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very compelling! Perfect balance of the science and the story of adolescence.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting podcast

[Chris Sheridan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting podcast discussing teenage brain development. this would be a good listen for someone getting into the field of psychology or someone who has a teenage child.

[Suzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was struck that adolescent age is considered 13-24.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good beginning insight into adolescents doing things that are idiotic. It reminded me of my psychology classes so I'm glad I still remember some things.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some quite difficult themes. Had to stop listening to it, rather hard to binge on

[Assortedtrashprincess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a good enough trigger warning. Avoid Avoid Avoid

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this series extremely intriguing. I do not wish to give too much away, but the Moroccan schools leading muslim youth in a positive direction were the most interesting part in my opinion

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

More an exploration of personal stories than actual science

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating listen

[Valerie Ratcliff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique perspective where bizarre and extreme choices made by teens are put into new light based on the latest developments in neuroscience