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Teenagers: A Natural History Teenagers: A Natural History
will change the way you think about teenagers. Far from their usual media
image, they are not society’s scourge – instead they are the pinnacle of
human achievement.
In this book,
David Bainbridge, a Cambridge University vet and anatomist, is the first
author to take a ‘zoological’ view of where teenagers came from and what they
are for. Recent discoveries have now shown that teenagers are a unique human
innovation, and that, remarkably, they are also the key to the unique success
of the entire human race. With a lively and accessible style he shows how and
why the second decade of human life has become imbued with a heady mix of
physical, mental, addictive, emotional and sexual change. Teenage biology and
behaviour, often viewed as an unpredictable, idiosyncratic, disturbing mess,
suddenly snap into focus as a beautifully choreographed sequence of
interwoven steps along the journey to becoming the most complex creature on
earth. Indeed,
this is the first time that a ‘zoological approach’ to teenagers could have been written. Viewing
teenagers as the product of aeons of evolution, it explains for the first
time why: - Being a teenager is a positive thing for both the individual
and the species - Teenagers are a unique human innovation and they evolved to
allow us to do most of the things that make humans special - Much of the data explain why teenagers are the way they are
has emerged only in the last ten years, and much of it has not yet been
brought to public attention -
The physical, mental, addictive, emotional and sexual sides of teenage life
happen for a reason: they are not just random failings of an undeveloped mind
and body. Again and
again, Bainbridge considers how this journey actually affects the teenagers
who travel it. Because of its pivotal role in the human experience,
adolescence brings with it the most intense physical, emotional and amorous
experiences of our lives. He considers why this evolutionary inheritance can
make some people’s adolescence a joy they will treasure forever, while for
others it marks the start of a decline into failure, insecurity, mental
illness and suicide. We now know
that the teenage years are not just an uncomfortable transition between
innocent childhood and mature adulthood. Instead, Bainbridge explains that
adolescence – the central moment when all strands of our life collide –
evolved for a very good reason. It is the single experience that makes us
truly human.
AND
IN OTHER COUNTRIES: Media Publication of Teenagers led to the following: Newspaper Features and
Interviews in: The Guardian (Teenagers: The Pinnacle of Evolution,
7 Feb 2009); The Glasgow Herald (The
New Zoo Way To Tame A Teen, 3 Feb 2009); Irish Examiner (Smells Like Teen Spirit, 10 Mar 2009);
Big Issue (twice, Feb 2009); Globe and Mail (Canada, May 2009); National Post
(Canada, 20 May 2009); Colors (Italy); La Vanguardia (Spain); Redação Época (Brazil); La Repubblica
(Italy, 19 Feb 2010); Star Phoenix & Vancouver Sun (Feb 2010); Grazia (Italy, in
preparation). Invited Articles: The Times (It’s not a
Teenage Strop. It’s a Key Part of Evolution, 23 Feb 2009) Radio Interviews: BBC Radio 4 (Woman’s
Hour, 15 Apr 2009); National Talk Radio (Dublin, 9 Apr 2009); To the Best of Our Knowledge (USA,
nationally syndicated, 23 Feb 09); Phantom 105.2 (Dublin, 17 Feb 2009); BBC
London, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk; Radio New
Zealand (This Way Up, Mar 2010). Television appearances: It’s Only A Theory (BBC4); Frank Skinner’s
Opinionated (ITV); All In The Mind
(Australian Broadcasting Corporation); Tatami (RAI). Invited talks, including: Werner Ganett
Foundation, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY; Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation,
Lisbon; South Bank Centre, London; Thinking pot, Turin; Dana Centre, Science
Museum, London. Reviews and comments The author of this book
does not dispute that almost all teenagers are morose, sullen, ungrateful,
antagonistic, pretentious, awkward, aggressive, libidinous and suicidal. What
he does is tell us why they are like this, for which many thanks... His
central thesis is shocking, that adolescence – teenagerdom
– is unique to humans and, more than this, defines us as modern, clever human
beings. As Bainbridge puts it: “Not
only do teenagers spend more time looking inwards, but it starts to become
something of an obsession. Early teens may sit for long periods mulling over
their own hopes, fears, abilities and defects.” No kidding vet-boy. So there you are: teenage angst explained away, without so
much as a clout around the ear. Rod Liddle, Sunday Times Booklist: Treats in Store for 2009. Bainbridge’s zoological approach takes the upheaval of
adolescence and turns it into a choreography of interwoven steps that become the
most important years of our lives. Feature: Teenagers: the pinnacle of evolution: It’s not a survival manual – there is none of that self-help preachiness you expect from books on teenagers. This has
more of an evolutionary quest and aims to explain why teenagers are the way
they are… So he wrote the book, in which he is truly ecstatic about
teenagers, and which will no doubt get him many teenage fans… The tone in Teenagers is chatty and energetic and
the chances are you will find something really useful here. 17 year-old daughter:
I like the way David Bainbridge’s book doesn’t preach at you or make us seem
like we’re lazy and violent. And it’s a cool thought that we’re really
important because you always think it’s older people who are more important
because they tell you what to do. I think it’s great that he’s honest about
drugs. 15 year-old son: It’s good to have an adult on my side because I hate the way
adults always tell you you’re wrong. Sally Williams,
The Guardian Should you have a difficult teenager in your life, this book
might just help everyone co-exist. Friendly and light-hearted, it attempts to
explain why those years are so challenging. David Bainbridge is convinced
that the teenage years are something to celebrate… he powerfully conveys the
pressures on today's teenagers - physiologically primed for sex, yet
discouraged from reproducing... Teenagers: a natural history offers a fresh
and encouraging perspective on a difficult and embarrassing, yet vitally
important, stage in the human life cycle. Gail Vines,
Independent At a time when youth culture is feared and demonised, here is
a welcome antidote. As well as providing a highly readable account of the
physical, emotional and mental changes that occur in the second decade of
life, David Bainbridge argues that teenagers are the most impressive
creatures on the planet. The evolution of adolescence, he contends, is what
allowed the human brain to make its "great leap forward". Kate Douglas, NewScientist Drawing on evolutionary biology, palaeoanthropology,
psychology, his own happy memories of being a Led Zeppelin fan, and a chirpy
prose style, he examines the teenage years with reverence, not to say awe. Cassandra Jardine, New Statesman This phenomenon and the
behavioural traits that accompany it are, according to David Bainbridge, the
author of this thoughtful but sometimes unsettling book, what makes teenagers
so difficult for adults to understand. Bainbridge, a veterinary
surgeon by training, now combines the role of clinical veterinary anatomist
at Cambridge University with writing popular science books. And he has
amassed correlations and anecdotes to support his thesis. Just as well:
scientists cannot carry out the kind of experiments that would settle the matter
one way or the other – that is, inject adolescents with chemicals to alter
the way their brains develop to test for a link between brain structure and
antisocial behaviour. But Teenagers is unsettling in a number of ways. First,
because in discussing the place of sex, drugs and rock and roll in teenagers’
lives, he accepts that the challenges facing today’s youth are far greater
than in the past. This is something we all know, but Bainbridge spells out
the downside of sex and drugs in detail. Second, he seeks to persuade us that
the teenage years are the high point of our lives (in biological terms, I am
sure he is right). But for those of us who passed an enjoyable adolescence,
the thought that the best is behind us must be depressing. And for those whose
adolescence was less than wonderful, the thought of those missed
opportunities for sex, drugs and general misbehaviour must be galling.
Bainbridge has written a compelling natural history – but it’s the history of
all our yesterdays. Alan Cane, Financial Times Poor teenagers: criticised,
ridiculed or patronised ever since the likes of Aristotle and Shakespeare
commented on their occasionally mildly problematic behaviour, now they must
endure being examined by a vet. David Bainbridge, Clinical Veterinary Anatomist
at Cambridge University, inspects even the parts they might wish to keep
private. His boundless enjoyment of a journey across the length of human
evolution is what most makes this book worth reading… Afterwards, you will
know more than you ever thought knowable about the "cultural
history" of pubic hair and the evolutionary origin of the penis. More than a natural history of teenagers, this
thought-provoking book is about humans and our place in the world, and the
unexpected but real importance of adolescents in that world. Teenagers have
for a long time been the object of negativity more than positivity and if
teenagers are such a different animal, who better than a veterinary anatomist
to dissect them? Nicola Morgan,
The Scotsman This popular science book offers an engaging account of the
physiological and intellectual growth spurts, and the moods and excesses that
accompany them... Bainbridge's description of this process shows the elegance
and verve with which he uses metaphor as explanation. Terri Apter, Times Literary Supplement («««««) David Bainbridge is a Cambridge University vet and anatomist
and it is from this “strange creatures” perspective that he writes this
highly accessible popular science book. Let’s face it, teenagers are an
anathema to most of us – this explains in simple, yet scientifically
substantiated, terms quite why they are irresistibly drawn to sex, drugs and
rock and roll – and why they are biologically predisposed to lie in bed for
as long as possible! Annika Joy, Pink Paper This is a subtle but very revealing change of emphasis.
Bainbridge shows that teenagers are not just large children or inexperienced
adults but people in a qualitatively different developmental phase… Whether
you are stuck in this difficult decade yourself or have children who are,
this is a fascinating and fresh perspective. Luiz Villazon, BBC Focus Magazine Fortunately, Bainbridge is a veterinary anatomist at Cambridge
University and he clearly knows his science. This, along with an enviably
lucid writing style, enables him to explain brain structure and physiology in
an accessible way, dealing effectively with current models of development for
non-scientific readers while not inadvertently patronising those who already
know where the hypothalamus is located. Bill Thompson,
New Humanist Teenagers: A Natural History is a brilliant book. Of course, I
wouldn’t recommend it if it wasn’t easy to read and engaging. Go for it –
this is not information that an education person should be without. autodidactory blog This is deliberately provocative, but he does an admirable job
backing up his statements with a well-researched, well written book setting
the latest scientific evidence on how children move though the teenage years
and on to adulthood. There is no dogma here: he runs though the scientific
evidence, which is often conflicting and then he assesses what it might mean
in practice... There is real humanity in this book. The science is warmed
with practical illustrations and a real affection for the subjects of his
investigation. Reader review,
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