Northwestern University launched the Institute for Adolescent Mental Health and Well-Being in 2025. The institute aims to study adolescent psychology and mental health, with a focus on applying its findings to support Northwestern students. Vijay Mittal, chair of the psychology department at Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, and psychology professor Renee Engeln are leading the initiative.
Engeln reflected on her teaching approach regarding teenage brain development. She noted that she often uses an advertisement from Allstate insurance in her Introduction to Psychology class, which asks: “Why do most 16-year-olds drive like they’re missing a part of their brain?” The ad’s answer is: “Because they are.” According to Engeln, “Yes, of course! And it helps them interrogate whether there’s truth to the claim that adolescents are basically adults with a big chunk of their brains missing.”
Mittal commented on why this perception resonates with people: “There’s something attractive about that argument because it feels like it captures why adolescents do some of the things they do: Driving too fast, staying up too late — impulsive, risky behaviors.”
Engeln pointed out that teenagers continue to develop in significant ways during these years. Mittal explained further: “Adolescence is a time when the brain undergoes a massive amount of neural reorganization and growth, and this development goes on longer than most people think. It doesn’t end when you’re old enough to vote, or even when you’re old enough to drink. It continues until people are in their mid-20s.”
Engeln added: “Our students don’t show up at Wildcat Welcome with adult brains.” Mittal responded: “But they show up with something better. They show up with brains that are primed to do many of the things we hope they’ll do at Northwestern. Adolescent brains aren’t broken, they’re ready.”
Drawing from her experience living among students as part of Northwestern’s faculty-in-residence program in Allison Hall, Engeln observed both enjoyment and challenges among students as their brains developed. She said she saw students sometimes struggle to anticipate consequences.
Mittal connected these observations to scientific findings: “That makes sense given what we know about teen brains. In areas of the brain that respond to rewards, sensitivity to dopamine peaks during adolescence. That’s part of why teens tend to weigh potential rewards over risks.”
Engeln expressed interest in new research reframing adolescent dopamine sensitivity positively rather than negatively.
Mittal elaborated: “Dopamine’s role gets oversimplified. Dopamine sensitivity plays a major role in supporting learning. It helps adolescents persist in the face of setbacks and approach problems with flexibility. Educators have a powerful opportunity to harness the unique state of adolescent brains, to guide adolescent boldness and flexibility so they turn into something positive.” He highlighted programs such as Chicago Field Studies or those run by the Center for Civic Engagement as formative experiences for students.
Engeln discussed how cognitive flexibility also enables young people to examine personal values during this stage: “Their brains are at a perfect developmental stage to solidify ideas about who they are and what they stand for.” She suggested that guided risk-taking based on strong values can lead to positive outcomes.
The conversation turned toward social sensitivity among teenagers—a trait often criticized but linked by Mittal and Engeln to healthy social engagement and relationship building skills taught through initiatives like the Litowitz Center for Enlightened Disagreement or Marriage 101 classes at Northwestern’s School of Education and Social Policy.
Mittal summarized: “Young brains flourish in environments that channel their drive for excitement, social sensitivity and cognitive flexibility.” Engeln added caution against stifling creativity or over-managing risk among young people.
Mittal concluded by emphasizing support for creative impulses: “We have to provide these young people with the resources to follow their creative impulses in positive ways. All that neural flexibility can turn into ingenuity if we give students the right support.”
Reflecting on student achievements such as performances or independent research projects, Engeln said these accomplishments demonstrate teenagers’ capabilities rather than deficits.
Mittal agreed: “Exactly. Teenage brains are still developing, but they’re also overflowing with possibility and potential.”
