In the current issue of Time Tiffany Sharples asks the question why do some teens behave recklessly? Is it as a new study published in the July issue of the journal Pediatrics would suggest because of the belief that they’re doomed to die young anyway?
In a long-term analysis of 20,594 American teens in grades 7 through 12, researchers interviewed the youngsters on three different occasions: first in 1995, again in 1996, then a final follow-up from 2000 to 2001. At the first interview, 1.4% of participants thought there was “almost no chance” that they’d reach their mid-30s; 2.4% thought it was possible, but hugely unlikely; and 10.9% believed they had only about a 50-50 shot of celebrating their 35th birthday. Researchers discovered that those who believed they were likely to die young were more likely to make potentially life-threatening choices — such as getting into violent fights or having unprotected sex with multiple partners — than teens who weren’t expecting an early death. Link to continue reading
Source: Time
