by Brody Dixon

Remove yourself from the situation. Say “No.” Provide an excuse. Peer pressure is a concept with which many are familiar. 

From a young age, many are taught how to avoid succumbing to it, but it still persists. Although this advice is helpful, the power of peer pressure is much deeper than that. What makes it so tempting? Why are teens more susceptible to it? The answers lie in our very own brains. 

As humans, we are social creatures. We both crave and need social interaction for our survival. This survival need can be observed biologically with the brain’s reward system. The brain’s reward system is a brain circuit that activates feelings of pleasure, such as when you eat food you like or receive a good grade on a test. This reward system is heavily involved with our social interactions as well, especially among teens. It is activated by getting a compliment or more importantly, “fitting in”. Vitalina Glushko, a student at Southeast stated: “I feel the most peer pressure when the teacher asks the class for the right answer and everyone says a different answer that I think is wrong, but I just follow up with what they say to not get judged or bring too much attention on me.” 

It is the\is hypersensitivity to social rewards that causes teems to "give in" to, or simply feel tempted by peer pressure. Peer approval takes on many forms in today's modern and quickly moving society. Along with verbal pressure, teens are digitally pressured through “likes” which creates rewarding and pleasurable feelings.

Teenagers are often the target audience for programs that handle peer pressure. This is not without reason. During your teen years, your brain undergoes changes that make it highly receptive to social situations. Simultaneously, the reward system in the brain becomes exceptionally sensitive. This makes peer validation feel more rewarding than actual risk assessment. Because of this, teens are much more susceptible to peer pressure. “Situations in which I feel the most peer pressure is in big crowds where everyone may be doing the same thing, even if it’s bad or good” said Ian Marks a student at Southeast. 

However, is all peer influence bad? Certainly not. Peer influence can be positive, and it sometimes teaches teenagers how to cooperate and be more empathetic. Marks said, “I believe peer pressure actually has a positive and negative impact on my decisions. For example, sometimes when I get peer pressured, it will lead me to do actions that I wouldn't normally do on a daily basis. On the other hand, peer pressure can also help me create resilience with my own opinion and help me stand strong with what I think is right.” 

Peer pressure is a complex combination of biological and social factors. The underlying reasons for peer pressure help us to understand ourselves as inherently social beings.