Teenagers 'enjoy taking risks'

Teenagers take more risks than children and adults because they enjoy the thrill, new research suggests.

The findings came in a study involving a computer gambling game where participants had to choose between risky and safe options.

Fourteen-year-olds were around 20 per cent more likely to take risks than the oldest category of 25 to 35-year-olds, the study found.

Even though they were good at weighing up the pros and cons of their decisions, adolescents displayed a more positive emotional response to winning in a "lucky escape" situation, according to scientists based at University College London.

The researchers studied 86 boys and men aged between nine and 35 as they made decisions in an attempt to win points in the computer game.

After each game, they measured the participants' emotional responses by recording how satisfied or dissatisfied they were.

According to the scientists, levels of enjoyment as a result of winning in a "lucky escape" situation increased with the onset of teenage years.

The authors suggested the results from the laboratory could help explain why teenagers take risks such as using drugs or having unprotected sex.