Stress? It's safety, silly! A new view of stress as a default response throws current theory upside down. Not something present (a stressor) triggers a stress response, but something missing (information on safety) unleashes it, keeping it disinhibited as long as safety is missing or unclear. Jos Brosschot • April 25, 2022
Mindfulness: the key to treating OCD? Only 50-65% of patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) benefit from standard OCD treatments. Until recently, the remaining individuals needed to live with the debilitating effects of the illness. Fortunately, mindfulness is now emerging as an alternative. Emma Nesbit, Mayra Jager and Sabrina Bayer • April 21, 2022
Be pandemic prepared: let's make lifestyle part of our society's DNA Undeniably, the coronavirus has had a huge impact on our lives over the past two years. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic is a perfect illustration of the importance of prevention and of a healthy lifestyle... Andrea Evers • April 19, 2022
Stress science is looking in the wrong place with the wrong theory Stress responses, typically popularized as outdated reactions to stressors such as cave bears, are far too brief and infrequent to make us sick. Yet, science still focuses on these responses, failing to explain the chronic high stress levels that can influence health and cause disease. Jos Brosschot • April 14, 2022
Why zebras don’t get ulcers, but cows do: the physiological effects of psychological stressors in calves The stress response system is highly adaptive, and has kept humans, zebras, and calves alive through history. But today it leaves humans in distress, whereas zebras are fine. And calves suffer stress as humans do… but for a different reason: humans themselves. Remond Wulff • March 25, 2022
Stress, anxiety and adapting to uncertainty in everyday life Our world may seem unpredictable and uncertain, especially when others are involved. When interacting with others, we cannot know for sure what they may be thinking or planning to do, but we do a good job guessing. This may not be so easy for everyone… Selin Topel • March 21, 2022
It was that mean child… or was it? The typical idea of a bully is a mean child who wants to dominate their peers. However, understanding social interactions in this light only gives part of the story. We need more nuance in the discussion of bullying to find fitting solutions to different problems. Neeltje van den Bedem • February 28, 2022
Multi-tasking: It’s not what you think You probably know someone who claims they’re a great multi-tasker – or perhaps you even consider yourself one. However, studies show that humans are actually quite bad at performing multiple tasks simultaneously. Let’s demystify the myth of multi-tasking! Marit Ruitenberg and Luc Vermeylen • February 23, 2022
COVID-19 and student mental health: A secondary crisis of the pandemic? Even under normal circumstances students experience higher levels of mental health issues, but this became worse during the pandemic. International students may be especially at risk, due to travel constraints and inability to form a social life during lockdowns. Liia Kivelä • February 17, 2022
