Ep 234: The Emotional Lives of Teenagers

<p>If you've enjoyed Talking to Teens, we'd love if you could leave us a five-star rating, and if you have time, a review! </p><br><p>Teens are dealing with a lot–impending adulthood, changing bodies, rigorous schoolwork and a complicated social scene–it’s no wonder they’re emotional! As parents, it can be hard to help them manage all the ups and downs, especially when teens are screaming at us or locking their bedroom doors. </p><p><br></p><p>This week, we're talking all about teen emotions: how to help them learn coping strategies, why they might be lashing out, and what’s really going on in their heads when they’re making mountains out of molehills.</p><p><br></p><p>Joining us is psychologist and author Lisa Damour, to talk about her recent book,<em> </em><a href="https://amzn.to/3IW0yns"><em>The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable and Compassionate Adolescents</em></a>. Lisa has been recognized as a thought leader by the American Psychological Association, cohosts the Ask Lisa podcast, writes about adolescence for the New York Times, appears as a regular contributor at CBS News, and maintains her own clinical practice! </p><p><br></p><p>In our interview, we’re talking about the two different kinds of reasoning teens apply when making a decision, gendered differences in teen’s emotional coping mechanisms, and how we can connect with kids, even when it seems like they want nothing to do with us.</p><p><strong>Hot vs. Cold Reasoning</strong></p><p><br></p><p>In the episode, Lisa explains how teens typically oscillate between two kinds of reasoning. Cold reasoning occurs when teens are using their logical rational mind to make a decision, while hot thinking typically refers to their thought process when they’re in emotionally or socially charged situations. While they may reach one conclusion when they’re using cold reasoning, that conclusion might just fly out the window when a situation gets much more emotional or social.</p><p><br></p><p>For example, teens often tell us they’re no