The Teenage Brain & the 90 second Rule

by Dr. Arika Dortero

“What is happening to my child!?” 

I am often asked this question from a concerned or frustrated parent as a child is starting the entry to puberty or is already well within it. So, I wanted to share a little about the teen brain...

A simplified explanation is that when a child enters puberty their brain undergoes MANY changes.  Their brains go through a process (called synaptic pruning) which helps it become more efficient; and many unnecessary neuronal pathways are cleared out in this process.  Just as the brain eliminates these old and unused pathways, the emotional part of the brain (known as the limbic system, specifically the amygdala) becomes very big and active.  The result for kids can feel confusing and messy, they often have really big feelings and sometimes don’t know exactly why.  

A fabulous neuroscientist, Dr. Bolte Taylor beautifully describes these changes and states that during this transitional time “kids literally lose half their minds!”.  

Also, it is important to know that the teenage brain processes information differently compared to the adult brain. Adults process information through their prefrontal cortex, or the part of the developed brain that helps with logic, thinking through consequences, rational thought, and making good judgment.  This part of the brain isn’t fully developed or connected until a person is around age 25!  

It can be incredibly helpful for you and the teen you are interacting with if you can keep this in mind:  their brain is still developing and they tend to think with their emotions rather than logical thought.

So, now that you know this fact you may still be asking “Okay but where can we find more ease in the meantime??”

Neuroscientist Dr. Bolte Taylor offers the 90 Second Rule as a helpful way to bring attention to our environment + emotions so we can learn to take charge of our emotional responses rather than being overtaken by them. This can be a powerful tool for adults and teenagers!

The 90 Second Rule is based on the principle that our environment and specific situations can and will trigger chemical responses in the brain that then cause us to feel specific emotions. The chemical cascade that triggers emotions lasts approximately 90 seconds.  During this time the body FEELS the response because of the neurotransmitters/chemicals released from the brain in response to a trigger, situation, environment, etc. The response our body FEELS may be anger, fear, stress, joy, sadness, etc. But again, this chemical response from the brain communicating to the body only lasts 90 seconds!  During that 90 seconds the reaction happens, and the chemicals are fully processed. 

Now you may be wondering why the emotional interactions with your teen feel so much more intense or longer lasting…

Dr. Bolte Taylor teaches that after the brain-body-emotional reaction is complete, a person makes a choice “to stay in the emotional loop” or not. When we CHOOSE to stay in the loop this is when an emotional reaction continues beyond 90 seconds. We then loop between the feeling and a reaction, over and over.

So how does the 90 second rule work in real life and how do we CHOOSE + teach our teens to CHOOSE to not get stuck in an emotional loop?


To stop the loop and to find more ease in the emotional experience we can use mindfulness. Mindfulness can help us to pause, to name the feeling, and to then choose to let that feeling pass. This intentional practice can help stop the continuation of BIG feelings.  

I recommend you first try this mindfulness around emotions yourself so you are aware of how this feels to practice personally. Then, you can bring this conversation up with the teenagers in your life. It takes practice, as our brains are wired to feel things strongly and many people have very deep pathways of emotion they can get into. So be patient with yourself and the teens around you as you work on this practice!

Have additional questions or need more support around this? 

I invite you to set up a visit with myself or one of the other practitioners in the office!

See you in clinic!

Dr. Arika Dortero

Reference: Bolte Taylor, Jill. “The Neuroanatomical Transformation of the Teenage Brain: Jill Bolte Taylor at TEDxYouth@Indianapolis.” YouTube, 13 February, 2013, https://youtu.be/PzT_SBl31-s 

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