Why teens are more self-serving than adults in social situations

Researchers have found that adolescents focus more on their own interests compared to adults when navigating social dilemmas, even when their interaction partners show greater willingness to cooperate. The study, published today in eLife , supports previous findings that teens tend to be less cooperative than adults, and sheds new light on how our willingness to work with others changes from youth into adulthood. eLife's editors describe it as important work, with a solid experimental approach to investigate cooperative behaviors in adolescents.