To better understand the connections, let’s unpack some of these risks. Adolescents’ sensitivity to the social world of peers and other influencers, in concert with the self-consciousness that is fueled by their ability to reflect and compare themselves to others, especially when the comparisons are negative, can lead to rumination or being stuck in a pattern of negative thinking. Rumination increases self-absorption because negative thoughts typically involve some aspect of oneself, like not getting what I want or being some way I don’t want. This habit of thinking can affect perspective-taking, so that adolescents, and even we adults, start to believe that our own views of self and others represent true reality. Another common outcome is inaccurately attributing certain mental states and emotions to others. Many of us have had the experience of perceiving someone to be angry or displeased with us when, in reality, they’re just having a bad day. We often take things very personally and we can sometimes seethe over experiences like this for a long time. Obviously, ruminative thinking also interferes with learning and attention.

Given the plasticity of the adolescent brain, consider this habit of thinking with respect to the brain networks we discussed in segment 1 of this course, particularly the self-referential default network. Unwholesome mental behaviors or thinking patterns can predispose vulnerable adolescents to form mental habits that contribute to depression, anxiety and other mental health problems. The time we spend dwelling in unwholesome mental states reduces our capacity to be present and rumination, importantly, has been identified as a risk factor for many different kinds of mental health problems and disorders.