Human Emotions (2)

If something doesn't go well, you just smile and carry on.

Well, there's no need to do that in this programme.

Now there's just time to remind you that we have a website with lots more learning English

content.

The address is bbclearningenglish.com.

Thanks for joining us and goodbye.

Goodbye!

Hello.

This is 6 Minute English, I'm Neil.

And I'm Rob.

What do you remember of your teenage years?

Oh, I was a nightmare.

I was rude to my parents, always stayed out late, never did my homework, hung out with

the wrong people and made lots of bad decisions.

How about you, Neil?

Well, much the same really.

People always say that about teenagers, don't they?

That they go through a period where they are out of control and behave badly.

But apparently, it's not their fault.

At least not directly.

So whose fault is it?

Our brains', apparently.

Teenagers' brains are still developing in areas that control behaviour, which could

mean that you can't blame them for acting the way they do.

Before we find out more, let's have our question.

There have always been teenagers, but when was the word ‘teenager' first used to

refer to the 13 – 19 age group?

Was it:

a) the 1920s

b) the 1930s

c) the 1950s

Any ideas, Rob?

Well, I think it came along around the time of rock and roll, so that would have made

it the 1950s.

That's my guess.

I'll have the answer later in the programme.

Sarah-Jayne Blakemore from University College London specialises in the workings of the

brain, particularly the teenage brain.

Recently she was a guest on the BBC Radio programme, The Life Scientific.

She explained that the understanding that the brain is still developing during the teenage

years is quite new.

When does she say the first research came out?

The first study showing that the human brain undergoes this very substantial and significant

development throughout adolescence and into the twenties; the first papers were published

in the late 90s.

Before that, and for example when I was at university, the dogma in the text books was

that the vast majority of brain development goes on in the first few years of life and

nothing much changes after mid-childhood.

That dogma is completely false.

So when did the research into the teenage brain come out?

Surprisingly, it wasn't until the late 1990s.

This was when she said that the first papers on this subject were published.

Papers in this context means the results of scientific research which are published.

And she didn't actually talk about teenagers, did she?

No, that's right.

She talked about the period of adolescence.

This noun, adolescence, is the period when someone is developing from a child into an

adult and it more or less is the same as the teenage years.

What I found interesting was that before the 1990s people believed something different

about the way our brains develop.

Yes, Professor Blakemore said that the dogma had been that our brains are mostly fully

developed in early childhood, long before adolescence.

Dogma is a word used to describe a strong belief that people are expected to accept

as true.

So our brains are still developing much later than was originally thought.

What does this tell us about teenage behaviour?

Of particular interest is an important part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex.

Here is Professor Blakemore again.

What excuse can she give for teenagers who don't get their homework done in time?

The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain right at the front, just behind the forehead

and it's involved in a whole range of very high-level cognitive tasks such as decision

making and planning - we know that this region is undergoing very very large amounts of development

during the adolescent years.

And so in terms of the expectations that we place on teenagers to, for example, plan their

homework, it might be too much given that we know that the region of the brain that

critically involved in planning is not developed yet.

So the prefrontal cortex is important in cognitive tasks.

What are those, Rob?

A cognitive task is one that requires conscious thinking and processing, such as making decisions

and planning.

It doesn't happen automatically, you have to think about it.

So in the adolescent years this part of the brain is not fully developed.

Note the adjective form here of the noun we had earlier adolescence.

So this gives a good excuse for not doing your homework!

Ha, ha, I wish I'd known that.

I used to say that I'd left my homework on the bus or that the dog had eaten it.

Now I could say, "Sorry sir, my brain isn't developed enough for the cognitive task of

planning my homework".

Yes, I'm sure that would work!

Before we wrap up, time to get the answer to this week's question.

I asked when was the word ‘teenager' first used to refer to the 13 – 19 age group?

Was it:

a) the 1920s

b) the 1930s

c) the 1950s

Rob, you said?

I guessed c) 1950s

The answer is actually b) the 1930s.

Very well done if you knew that.

Now a quick review of today's vocabulary.

Adolescence is the noun for the period of change from child to adult and the adjective

is adolescent – this same word is also the noun for someone who is in that teenage period.

So an adolescent might be responsible for adolescent behaviour in his or her adolescence.

Exactly.

Papers is the word for published scientific research.

Dogma is strongly held beliefs that are not challenged.

The prefrontal cortex is an important part of the brain which deals with cognitive tasks.

And cognitive tasks are mental processes that require active thought and consideration,

such as planning and making decisions.

Well, my decision-making skills tell me that it's time to finish.

Well, your skills are working well Neil.

We may be going now but you don't need to – you can listen or watch us again and find

lots more learning English materials on our social media platforms.

You can also visit our website at bbclearningenglish.com.

See you soon, goodbye.

Bye!

Hello.

This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.

I'm Neil.

And I'm Sam.

Do you cry easily, Sam?

I mean, when was the last time you cried?

Let me think…

Last week watching a movie, probably.

I was watching a really dramatic film and in one scene, the heroine gets separated from

her children.

I just burst out crying.

How about you Neil - when was the last time you cried?

Men don't cry, Sam.

Come on, Neil!

That's a bit stereotypical, isn't it? – the idea that men don't show their emotions

and women cry all the time.

Well, that's an interesting point, Sam, because in today's programme we're discussing

crying.

We'll be investigating the reasons why we cry and looking at some of the differences

between men and women and between crying in public and in private.

And of course, we'll be learning some related vocabulary along the way.

I guess it's kind of true that women do cry more than men.

People often think crying is only about painful feelings but we also cry to show joy and when

we are moved by something beautiful like music or a painting.

So, maybe women are just more in touch with their feelings and that's why they cry more.

Well actually, Sam, that brings me to our quiz question.

According to a study from 2017 conducted in the UK, on average, how many times a year

do women cry?

Is it: a) 52

b) 72, or c) 102

Hmm, it's a tricky question, Neil.

I mean, there are so many different reasons why people cry.

And what makes me cry might make someone else laugh.

I think some of my female friends probably cry around once a week, so I‘ll guess the

answer is a) 52.

OK, Sam.

We'll find out later if you were right.

Now, while it may be true that men cry less often, it also seems that they feel less embarrassed

about crying in public.

This may be because of differences in how men and women think others will view their

public displays of emotion.

Here's BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour speaking to therapist Joanna Cross about the issue

of crying at work.

Let's take the workplace.

If you've got somebody who seems to cry regularly, I think that's not helpful for

the individual because then if they cry over something that really is important to them,

they might not be taken so seriously - or they get a label.

But I do think crying is often a build-up of frustration and undealt-with situations

and it's a bit of a final straw moment.

So people who regularly cry at work risk not being taken seriously – not being treated

as deserving attention or respect.

And they might even get a label – become thought of as having a particular character

whether that's true or not.

Here's Joanna Cross again:

You build up your resentments, your lack of boundaries, not being able to say ‘no'

and then somebody says, ‘Can you go and make a cup of tea?' and you suddenly find

yourself weeping.

And everybody says, ‘What's wrong with her?'

but actually that's often a backlog of situations.

So, a common reason for crying at work seems to be a build-up of resentments - feelings

of anger when you think you have been treated unfairly or have been forced to accept something

you don't like.

When left undealt with, these feelings can create a backlog - an accumulation of issues

that you should have dealt with before but didn't.

Right.

And then, like Joanna says, someone asks you to do something very simple and easy, like

make a cup of tea, and you start weeping – another word for crying.

That's a good example of a final straw moment, a term which comes from the expression, ‘The

straw that broke the camel's back'.

The final straw means a further problem which itself might be insignificant but which finally

makes you want to give up.

I hope this programme won't be the final straw for us, Sam.

I doubt it, Neil.

The only time I cry at work is when you used to bring in your onion sandwiches for lunch.

In fact, I can feel a tear rolling down my cheek right now…

Ah, so that counts as one of your cries, Sam.

Remember, I asked you on average how many times a year women in the UK cry – and you

said?

I said a) 52.

Well, don't cry when I tell you that you were wrong.

The actual answer was c) 72 times a year.

Which on average is more than men, but less than parents of new-born babies, both mothers

and fathers.

They cry almost as much as their babies!

Today, we've been talking about crying – or weeping, as it's sometimes called.

People who often cry at work risk not being taken seriously – not treated as deserving

of attention or respect.

This means they might get a label – becoming known as someone with a particular kind of

personality, even though that may not be true.

But crying is also a healthy way of expressing emotions.

It can help deal with resentments – feelings of anger that you have been treated unfairly.

If we don't deal with these feelings in some way, they can grow into a backlog – an

accumulation of unresolved issues that you now need to deal with.

And if you don't deal with them, you might become a ticking bomb waiting to explode.

Then anything someone says to you can become the final straw – the last small problem

which makes you want to give up and maybe start crying.

What's the matter, Neil?

Was it something I said?

No, Sam – I'm crying because it's the end of the programme!

Ahh, don't worry because we'll be back soon for another edition of 6 Minute English.