News Articles

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has found that students who have never had sex rate significantly and consistently better in nearly all health-related behaviors than sexually active peers.  The report examined a large array of health behaviors of high school students according to their self-reported sexual activity, including dating violence to substance abuse, to drunk driving, to carrying weapons. The major conclusion from the report is quite stark: Virgin students rate significantly and consistently better in nearly all health-related behaviors than their sexually active peers. They do so by remarkably stunning measures. Just one more piece of evidence that waiting [...]

By Maria Konnikova Courtesy of The New Yorker This summer, American Psychologist, the official journal of the American Psychological Association, released a special issue on the topic of bullying and victimization. Bullying is, presumably, as old as humanity, but research into it is relatively young: in 1997, when Susan Swearer, one of the issue’s two editors, first started studying the problem, she was one of the first researchers in the United States to do so. Back then, only four states had official statutes against bullying behavior, and the only existing longitudinal work had come out of Scandinavia, in the seventies. After Columbine, however, [...]

Five research-based ways to help children and teens attain their goals. By Marilyn Price-Mitchell Ph.D. Courtesy of Psychology Today If you are an employed adult, you know that most organizations have written goals and objectives. That’s because goal-setting is a common practice in the workplace; and for good reasons. Written goals provide a road map by which employees can measure their efforts and see how they contribute to the success of work teams and ultimately, to their companies. In the same way, goal-setting helps motivate athletes, entrepreneurs, and individuals to achieve at higher levels of difficulty. But goal-setting isn’t just [...]

By Zdravko Cvijetic Courtesy of Medium.com Somebody once told me the definition of hell: "On your last day on earth, the person you became will meet the person you could have become." — Anonymous Sometimes, to become successful and get closer to the person we can become, we don't need to add more things — we need to give up on some of them. There are certain things that are universal, which will make you successful if you give up on them, even though each one of us could have a different definition of success. You can give up on [...]

Help your child feel confident and empowered By Cheryl Lock Courtesy of Very Well Family Best Overall Book for Teens: You Don’t Have to Learn Everything the Hard Way "Reviewers says this book is chock-full of tidbits to help teenagers navigate a complicated world." If you’re looking for a book that covers it all, check out “You Don’t Have to Learn Everything the Hard Way” by Laya Saul. Covering topics like sexual abuse, pain, facing obstacles, peer pressure, drugs, and many others, Saul provides teens chapters with bite-sized inspiration in the form of stories, ideas, quotes, and questions to get [...]

By Taylor Massey. Courtesy of Cenage. Staying motivated in the long winter months is no easy feat. Schools in many locations experience blizzards and severe weather conditions that make it hard to commute. And we’re all faced with fewer daylight hours that can make it hard to stay active and in high-spirits. If you’ve noticed your students dragging more than usual lately, share these top five tips for staying motivated in the winter months. Find inspiration [Schoolwork] is not for the faint of heart. It’s easy to lose your motivation in the middle of spring semester, when all you want to do is stay inside your cozy bedroom. [...]

On #GivingTuesday we are raising funds for Free Teens USA's educational and youth activities. Your contribution will make an impact, whether you donate $5 or $500. Every bit helps! And on Giving Tuesday Nov 27, starting at 8am EST, Facebook and PayPal will match all donations worldwide until a $7 million limit is reached. THANK YOU for partnering with us in this life-saving and life-transforming work! The Institute for Relationship Intelligence (Free Teens USA) was founded in 1994 for the purpose of offering education and activities to promote healthy relationships that lead to stronger families and communities. Its signature programs for youth are [...]

By Jeanna Bryner, Live Science Managing Editor Courtesy of Live Science Delaying sex makes for a more satisfying and stable relationship later on, new research finds. Couples who had sex the earliest — such as after the first date or within the first month of dating — had the worst relationship outcomes. "What seems to happen is that if couples become sexual too early, this very rewarding area of the relationship overwhelms good decision-making and keeps couples in a relationship that might not be the best for them in the long-run," study researcher Dean Busby, of Brigham Young University's School [...]

Courtesy of The Conversation. What leads to success in school? Recent research suggests success is partly driven by character skills. “Grit,” for example, or perseverance and passion for long-term goals, seems to be a better predictor of success than IQ in school and beyond. Researchers have also demonstrated that having a “growth mindset,” meaning that a person recognizes that abilities are not fixed, but developed through practice, is associated with academic success. Researchers at Research Schools International are exploring other character skills that might contribute to success. In a recent study, we explored the relationship between happiness and student achievement. [...]

By Susan Heitler, PhD. Posted Nov. 11, 2017 Courtesy of Psychology Today How can families prepare students for doing well when they finish college? Reading today's newspaper I found three depressing themes with regard to young adults. They feel burdened by huge debts from college loans. They can't get jobs. They've had to move back in with their parents after finishing college. What can parents of teenagers do to prepare their kids for the challenges they will face finding work after their education years have ended? Parenting is the art of preparing children to be adults. That is, the goal of [...]