Just as a home may seem strong when the weather is calm, teens may show social and mental strength when they have the support of their parents, teachers, and communities during high school. But what happens when the weather turns? Will teens have the same resiliency when they are on their own? Just as a well-constructed house will survive a storm, teens who have solid social, cognitive, and wellness skills will endure the harsh certainties of the real world. How do parents, guardians, and educators help teens cultivate these skills? Like a strong home, it starts with a solid foundation. This article discusses how social and emotional learning (SEL), exercise, and cognitive function work together to help support teens’ mental, social, and physical health – developing the whole child.
Social and Emotional Learning
One component used to help develop social and emotional resiliency in teens during high school starts with SEL or social and emotional learning. CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) defines the five core outcomes of the SEL curriculum as learning:
-
Self-awareness – the ability to understand one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and influence behavior across contexts.
-
Self-management – learning how to deal with stress, setting goals, and motivating oneself.
-
Social awareness – involves understanding and empathizing with others, particularly with people from different backgrounds.
-
Relationship skills – establishing and maintaining healthy and supportive relationships and effectively navigating settings with diverse individuals and groups.
-
Responsible decision – making caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across various situations.
These SEL skills are necessary during high school as adolescents are working hard to navigate academic challenges, social groups, and emotional mood swings. However, these core outcomes are also essential for life after high school. For example, as young adults progress into the real-world, skills such as self-management are critical in handling daily stress, setting goals, and finding motivation. When teens develop these skills, they learn to overcome procrastination and build resilience, especially as they tackle several academic, social, and job demands when they strike out on their own.
However, to sustain SEL skills like self-management and responsible decision-making in the real-world, young adults also need to support their mental, physical, and cognitive health. And just like a solid foundation makes for a strong home – a healthy mind and body can act as the “support beams” for strengthening and maintaining SEL skills. Research confirms that one of the best ways to develop cognitive, emotional, and physical health is through exercise.
Inactivity and Teens: What New Research Says
Studies show that sedentary lifestyles negatively impact teens’ physical, mental, academic, and social health. Inactivity can lead to several health issues, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. The Harvard School of Public Health suggests obesity can harm nearly every system in a child’s body, including their lungs, muscles, digestive tract, and the hormones that control blood sugar. A recent study in The Lancet Psychiatry found sedentary teens may be more likely than their active peers to be depressed. Those who were the most sedentary at ages 12 through 16 were the most likely to have symptoms of depression at 18. Research also suggests inactivity negatively affects metabolic health and decreases overall cognitive and brain health. An interesting study out of the Journal of Clinical Medicine found certain sedentary behaviors of children actually related to lower volumes of gray matter in the frontal, parietal, and occipital regions of their brains. In terms of academics, one study shows that obese children are significantly more likely to repeat a grade in school compared to their normal-weight peers. If inactivity has such a dramatic impact on teens’ physical, emotional, and educational well-being, how are they expected to learn and strengthen SEL skills? Fitness and SEL need to go hand in hand. One cannot exist without the other when developing the whole child.
Exercise: Miracle-Gro for Young Brains
We know the overall physical benefits of exercise, but how does fitness boost cognitive functioning and emotional health in teens and young adults? John J. Ratey MD, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of the book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, states, “Exercise prompts the brain cells to send out growth factors like BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), helping to rebuild new connections between cells. This action promotes brain cell growth and cognitive performance. BDNF is like ‘miracle-gro’ for the brain.” Ratey also adds in his book, “BDNF gives the synapses the tools they need to take in information, process it, associate it, remember it, and put it in context.”
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report looked at exercise programs provided in and outside school. The report found across all studies, there were 251 associations between physical activity and academic performance, representing measures of academic achievement, academic behavior, and cognitive skills and attitudes. Of all the associations examined, 50.5 percent were positive. The CDC concluded, “Physical activity can have an impact on attitudes, cognitive skills, and academic behavior – all of which are vital components of improved academic performance. These include enhanced attention and concentration as well as improved classroom behavior.” According to an essay written by Charles Basch of Columbia University, “It’s likely that the effects of physical activity on cognition would be significant in the highly plastic developing brains of youth.” His summary of how exercise affects executive functioning included finding:
-
Elevated brain neurotransmitters
-
Increased oxygen flow to the brain
-
High levels of brain-derived neurotrophins. Neurotrophins assure neurons’ survival in areas of the brain responsible for memory, learning, and higher-ordered thinking.
SEL & Exercise: Stronger Together
One study reveals, “Active adolescents tend to remain more active as adults and are more likely to have better physical health and cognitive functioning as a result.” Levy Thompson of the Carnegie Corporation of New York states, “SEL is a way of being, dealing, and navigating with all of the things, both wonderful and challenging, that any person is going to confront throughout their adult life.” Both quotes confirm that the benefits of exercise and SEL last way beyond high school. SEL gives young adults skills, attitudes, and values critical to navigating life. Physical activity improves overall teen health, academic performance, and cognitive functioning. Together, SEL and exercise build resilient teens who turn into resilient adults. Just as a home needs a robust framework and foundation to withstand extreme conditions, young adults need SEL skills as well as physical fitness and mental wellness routines to survive and thrive in the real world. When we combine SEL and exercise, we are developing the whole child – from the inside out.
