The teenage brain processes emotions differently due to the ongoing development of the prefrontal cortex and the heightened activity in the amygdala, the brain's emotional center. This developmental stage leads to more intense emotional experiences and a tendency for teenagers to rely more on the amygdala for emotional processing, making it harder for them to regulate emotions compared to adults. As the prefrontal cortex matures, teenagers gradually get better at emotional regulation, leading to more adult-like processing of emotions.