Nicola Morgan presented information on adolescent brains, stress, and wellbeing. She discussed how the teenage brain differs from adult brains in its development of prefrontal cortex and limbic system. This can make teenagers more susceptible to stress and emotional reactions. Stress can impair cognitive functioning through "preoccupation." Morgan outlined strategies schools can use to promote wellbeing, including building resilience, educating on stress management, supporting introverts, improving sleep, managing screen time, and incorporating the PERMA model of wellbeing. Small changes to the school environment and curriculum could help reduce teenage stress and enhance learning.

1. Adolescent brains, stress
and wellbeing
with Nicola Morgan
Information, classroom materials and
more: www.nicolamorgan.com

2. More information:
• My books
– About the teenage brain
– About teenage stress
– Exam preparation
• Classroom resources:
– “Brain Sticks”
• Your handouts – also
on my blog from yesterday
• My website: www.nicolamorgan.com
• Brain Sane newsletter about wellbeing, brains, adolescence,
teenage stress, science of reading, digital matters

3. Today
1. Teenage brain and stress differences
(Coffee break – too short!)
2. Stress – the good, the bad and why
schools should care about it
(Lunch break)
3. Strategies for wellbeing and mental health

4. Think about:
• What would your students most benefit
from knowing?
• How might you share this knowledge with
them?
• How can you share with your colleagues?

5. Core conditions for counselling
• Genuineness
• Acceptance
• Understanding

6. Fundamental brain fact
Branches are
called
dendrites
EVERYTHING
we do
happens when we
send electrical
messages between
pathways of
neurons

7. New or unused neurons

8. We have to grow dendrites (branches)
to make connections (synapses)

9. How do we do that?
• Trying (practising)
• Copying
• Sleeping
– Sleeping brain repeats day’s activity
– Especially things we found hardest / failed at
• Exercising? Socialising?

10. Teenage development: core
principles
• Generalisations about individuals
• Universal – but with differences
• State of Brain and Stage of Life
• Understanding is hugely powerful
• Understanding based on:
– Natural, necessary, temporary and positive
– With goal of independence

11. Main brain differences
• 3 stages, fr age c11 (Gs usually before Bs)
1. Major increase in volume of grey matter
(from more connections)
2. Major loss (pruning) of connections
3. Strengthening (“myelination”) of connections
• Prefrontal cortex develops last (mid 20s)

12. Prefrontal cortex vs limbic system
Prefrontal cortex:
• Control: reason, logic, prediction, analysis,
impulse control, moral values, decisions
Limbic system (inc amygdala):
• Emotions + instinct:
Reactive, impulsive, motivating
Amygdala
PFC

13. Teenage brain in practice:
Lost connections
• Diminishing of a previous skill –
demoralising and stressful
• Clumsiness – especially in boys, as the
cerebellum changes more dramatically

14. Teenage brain in practice:
social creatures
• Human nature, for all age groups
• Pay high price for social alienation
• Greater drive to conform to group
• Explains strength of peer pressure
• Social embarrassment + risk-taking 
greater brain activity in teenagers
See work by Sarah-Jayne Blakemore especially

15. Teenage brain in practice: Emotion

16. Teenage brain in practice: Emotion
• (Hormones + stress also affect emotions)
• Poorer at recognising emotions in faces
• Strong amygdala overpowers weaker pfc
• Control of feelings and responses (words
and actions) may be weaker

17. Teenage brain in practice: Risk

18. Teenage brain and risk
• Successful adults take risks:
– Dopamine drives brain’s “reward system”
– In some teenagers, reward systems more
active
– And even more when peers are present
– Highly social teenage brain => great reward
for attracting peer respect
• Again, amygdala may overpower pfc
• More weight on immediate thrill/desire

19. Teenage brain in practice:
Sleep

20. Teenage brain in practice: Sleep
• Teenagers need average 9.25 hours
• But melatonin switches on later at night
– And off later in the morning
• So very likely to be sleep deprived:
– Mood, stress, concentration, performance

21. Teenage brain in practice: alcohol
• Obviously a factor in risk-taking
– Easily available; “adult”
• More dangerous than for adults – takes
less to cause damage
– Damage is to hippocampus – crucial in
learning and memory
• Use is decreasing in UK (2007-2014)
• Most teenagers do not drink

22. Teenage stress

23. Teenage stresses
• Change: brain, body, chemistry, friends,
fears, expectations, pressure
• Biggest stresses: exams + friendship
issues
• A regular schoolday – full of stress
• Biological differences:
– more brain activity in stress responses?
– slower adaptation to stressors?

24. Teenage stresses cont’d
“New” stresses:
1. Exams: higher pressure,
frequency + stakes
2. The internet and social
media

25. Teenage brains in the
classroom
• Boys/girls reach stages at different times
• If young for year, brain at earlier stage
• Stress affects performance
• Self-consciousness can be huge stressor
• Learners often lack autonomy – special
problem for teenagers
• Brain “bandwidth” issues (later!)

26. Questions?

27. DISCUSS
1. Which facts/ideas did you find most
interesting, useful or enlightening?
2. What do you think your students might
find interesting?
3. How would they benefit from this
understanding?
4. How could you share it with them?

28. Break

29. Adolescent brains, stress
and wellbeing
with Nicola Morgan
Part 2: Stress
Information, classroom materials and chances
to win books: www.nicolamorgan.com

30. What is stress?
• Fight or flight response
• Adrenalin and cortisol
 optimal performance
• But cortisol builds up if no relief
• Same negative effects for all ages:
– immune system, concentration, mood, sleep
– performance – cognitive and executive
• And “preoccupation”…

31. “Preoccupation”
• The “bandwidth” issue and multi-tasking
• If part of focus is elsewhere, cannot
perform 100% on task
• Preoccupation diminishes performance/IQ:
– Cognitive capacity (aspects of learning)
– Executive control (aspects of behaviour)

32. When can preoccupation
occur for teenagers?
1. Worries and intrusive thoughts
2. “Scarcity” – time and food
3. Overload of information / tasks – attempts to
multi-task
– Social media/smartphones 
• distraction and info-overload
• upsets/problems with friends/peers

33. No one can multi-task!
• Remember “bandwidth” – no one can
escape!
• (But non-cognitive tasks have less/no
impact – eg walking)
• We do not improve at multi-tasking
– Those who experience distraction most are
worse at ignoring distractions
– Attempting to multi-task causes stress and
cognitive “tax” (poorer learning)
The Organized Mind by Daniel Levitin

34. Example
4 + 4 5 + 13 9 – 3 6 x 1
3 + 9 18 – 4 8 x 2 13 + 6
14 – 9 12 x 1 17 – 8 8 + 7

35. 7 + 4 9 + 3 8 – 5 6 + 7
6 + 6 7 – 2 5 – 0 11 – 5
3 + 12 6 x 1 12 – 4 15 – 5
8 + 8 7 + 8 7 x 3 11 – 7
8 + 4 12 – 7 17 – 2 6 + 8
(1)

37. apple castle pink awful thirty
sausages laugh down frog
never

38. (2)

39. 2 + 13 7 + 6 3 x 7 12 – 5
11 + 4 7 + 7 9 – 6 8 + 3
14 – 2 8 + 6 12 – 6 9 + 7
8 + 7 6 – 0 15 – 5 15 + 4
7 x 1 7 + 5 9 – 4 14 – 6
(2)

40. (2)

41. Anxious teenagers and intrusive
thoughts
• “Rumination”
• Creates a pathway in brain
– Huge effect on preoccupation  loss of focus
• Major factor in anxiety disorders and
depression
• Teenagers lack life experience, context etc
• May use “negative coping mechanisms”

42. How can the school day create
“preoccupation”?
• Can you think of a time when a student
didn’t perform well because he/she had
something causing “preoccupation”?
• How might you have helped that student
now that you know the psychology?

43. Extra stress for introverts
• Introversion is not about shyness
• Spend huge energy in all social situations
• May do least good work in collaboration
• Extra need for quiet time, switch-off time
• If needs aren’t met  more stress
• Most school situations highly stressful
• Society values extroverts  introverts may
undervalue selves

44. And for “Type A” personalities
(Ambitious; perfectionist; take on too much;
hurry)
• May deal poorly with failure
• “Rumination” instead of moving forward
• Need extra help with stress management
– And resilience

45. Questions?

46. DISCUSS
1. “In my day”, no one cared or knew about
stress. I survived. So, why should we
care?
2. What stress-inducing challenges does
our school day create?
3. Are these challenges insurmountable?
4. Do we sometimes expect teenagers to
“get on with it”?

47. Lunch

48. Adolescent brains, stress
and wellbeing
with Nicola Morgan
Part 3: Strategies
Information, classroom materials and chances
to win books: www.nicolamorgan.com

49. Strategies for Wellbeing
1. PERMA – “engagement”/”flow”
2. Build resilience
3. Educate re stress + anxiety
management
4. Value and cater for introverts + all
5. Improve sleep
6. Manage screentime
7. (Read for Pleasure)

50. 1. PERMA model of wellbeing
P = positive feelings
E = engagement
R = relationships
M = meaning
A = accomplishment
See Teaching Wellbeing in Schools by Ian Morris and Flourish by
Martin Seligman

51. 2. Build resilience
• Ability to “bounce back” – a learnable skill
• Does not come from cotton-wool:
avoidance of danger/stress/upset/failure
• Nor from neglect or “stiff upper lip”
• Helicopter parenting vs safety net
parenting
– Teach skills; allow failure and trying again

52. Resilience benefits from
• “Growth” mindset – Carol Dweck
– DRIVE by Daniel Pink covers her work
– Praising effort not talent
• Recognising who might need extra
support: perfectionists, neglected etc
• Acknowledging “character strengths”
– FLOURISH by Martin Seligman
– “What went well?”

53. Resilience also benefits from
Using metacognition
– “Why did that go wrong? Could I have acted
differently?”
• “What steps can I take to do better next time?”
• “How can I let go of that mistake?”
1. youngminds.org for classroom resources
2. Teaching Happpiness & Wellbeing in Schools by Ian Morris
3. Authentic Happiness website

54. 3. Educate about stress
What stress IS – good and bad
– Cortisol effects
– “Cup of stress”
– “Preoccupation” and digital distraction
– “RELAXATION IS NOT A LUXURY”
• Emphasise that relaxation helps performance
• Two different needs:
– Relaxing  to reduce heart rate – eg yoga
– Exciting  may raise heart rate – eg sport

55. Educate about stress cont’d
• Give strategies:
A. Breathing skills – for panic or general
relaxation
B. Down-time – activities to reduce cortisol
~ Different ~ Varied ~ Deliberate
C. Perspective:
~ you are not alone ~ this is not forever ~ talk
D. Teach intrusive thoughts tool

56. Anxiety management
A. Empathise re anxieties – “understanding,
acceptance and genuineness”
B. Breathing exercise
C. Intrusive thoughts – “pathways” exercise

57. Intrusive thoughts tool
To illustrate this:
• Every thought is a pathway in the brain
• The brain learns by repetition, creating
strong pathways that are easy to follow
• But the brain can learn negative, unhelpful
things, too => negative intrusive thoughts
• We can replace with positive thought

67. 4. Value your introverts
• Think about which students they may be
• Educate all re personality strengths
– Thinkers, creative, good friends, sensitive,
great leaders, highly respected by many
• Teach self-understanding; motivate to
practise weaknesses
• Be aware that they may do best work
alone
• Do not draw attention to quietness
• Offer sanctuary, time and space

68. 5. Improve sleep

69. Teach “Sleep hygiene”
1-2 hours before bed
Aim:
1. Wind down to lower heart rate/stress
2. Stimulate melatonin (sleep hormone)
3. Create routine
Many tips on handouts

70. 6. Educate re screen-time
• Screens often hinder sleep

71. Thinking about screentime
The internet and social media:
• 24/7 bullying  low empathy + lack of eye contact
• Highly appealing/addictive – time-suck
• Over-sharing – drive to share personal info  risk
• Repetition of bad news stories
• Pressure to conform with tribe – “FOMO”
• Distraction: “Continual partial attention” (more later)
The Organized Mind by Daniel Levitin

72. 6. Educate re screen-time
cont’d
• Teach: we can’t focus well on two things
– “You will get your work done faster and better
if you switch off distraction”
• Tools: “pomodoro” technique
• Intrinsic motivation: experience of benefit

73. 7. Read for pleasure

74. Discussion
One slip of paper for each group:
Resilience ~ Stress education ~ Sleep ~ Screen-time
management ~ Introversion
Suggested questions:
A. What are our biggest challenges in
school?
B. What might be an easy starting point?
C. Ideas for putting any of these into action?

75. Questions?

76. Adolescent brains, stress
and wellbeing
with Nicola Morgan
Information, classroom materials and chances
to win books: www.nicolamorgan.com