Teenagers become more given to exploration with age and become increasingly likely to visit new places over time, a study finds.
The results also show that greater exploration is associated with enhanced psychological well-being and larger social networks.
The researchers also discovered that adolescents who explored their natural environments more also reported a greater number of risky behaviors.
“While adolescent risk taking is typically seen as a problematic behavior, we found that heightened exploration was also linked to greater social connectivity and emotional well-being,” said Catherine Hartley, an associate professor in New York University’s department of psychology and the senior author of the study in the journal Psychological Science….