<p><br /> Teenagers take more risks than children and adults because they enjoy the thrill, new research suggests.<br /> </p><p><br /> The findings came in a study involving a computer gambling game where participants had to choose between risky and safe options.<br /> </p><p><br /> 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.<br /> </p><p><br /> 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.<br /> </p><p><br /> 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.<br /> </p><p><br /> After each game, they measured the participants' emotional responses by recording how satisfied or dissatisfied they were.<br /> </p><p><br /> According to the scientists, levels of enjoyment as a result of winning in a "lucky escape" situation increased with the onset of teenage years.<br /> </p><p><br /> The authors suggested the results from the laboratory could help explain why teenagers take risks such as using drugs or having unprotected sex.<br /> </p>
