Ms Studer, you have developed a programme to promote mental health for school classes. It is based on neuroscientific findings which suggest that happiness begins in the mind.
Yes – how happy or content we feel depends on how we process and evaluate what we perceive. In this respect, to put it bluntly, people tend towards pessimism: negative emotions leave a stronger and more lasting impression on the brain than positive ones. We feel them about five times more intensely, and we think about problems around four times more often than we do about pleasant things. From a historical and genetic perspective, this makes sense.
Why?
This is because it helps us to remain on our guard against potential dangers. Fear, for example, protects us from risks. The downside of such defence mechanisms is that we tend to focus more on the negative, or that negative experiences subconsciously shape us. This leads to the establishment of certain thought patterns, which the brain then applies in new situations. However, we do have the ability to train our minds to think in the opposite way.
How do we go about it?
By trying to be more mindful of and appreciate the little joys in everyday life: a pleasant, unexpected encounter, some encouraging words from a colleague, the beautiful flowers by the roadside. It's about cultivating helpful thoughts and, with a bit of practice, helping the brain to slip more easily into positive patterns.
In our programme for upper secondary school pupils, we show young people how their brains work and how they can protect their mental health and improve their wellbeing through their lifestyle, thought patterns and habits. There are lots of easy-to-implement practices for everyday life.
For example?
For example, asking yourself regularly: What bold step have I taken today? Who have I been able to help? What am I looking forward to? What am I grateful for? Such rituals have a positive influence on our perception and shape our thinking accordingly. As I said, this also applies to the ability to find joy in everyday things. To do this, we need to sharpen our focus. And we can help our bodies achieve greater mental lightness and joy through small activities. Gestures of kindness, spending time in nature, humming or singing...
Why does humming or singing make us feel better?
On the one hand, the rhythmic vibration and altered breathing stimulate the vagus nerve, which runs past the larynx. It is the main nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for relaxation. When stimulated, it signals the brain to lower the heart rate and blood pressure. On the other hand, humming, singing or playing music stimulates the pituitary gland to release so-called «happiness hormones» such as oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin into the bloodstream – a cocktail that energises, revitalises and lifts the spirits. Meanwhile, nature is the best medicine for stress. It induces pure relaxation in the brain.
How?
Plants release what are known as terpenoids – signalling molecules through which they communicate with one another. These are volatile chemical compounds that also bind to various receptors in our brain, thereby directly activating a multitude of the body's own signalling molecules which regulate heart rate, sleep and emotions. Studies show that spending just 10 to 20 minutes in green spaces reduces the concentration of the stress hormone cortisol in the blood by 20 per cent. It is no coincidence that «forest bathing» is prescribed by doctors in Japan – research suggests that we should spend time in nature at least three times a week.
Pondering, daydreaming, losing oneself in one's own thoughts, completely free from distractions: children and young people, in particular, need time and space for this.
And, as you say, allow ourselves a bit more peace and quiet in general.
Periods of calm following stimulation and activation not only enhance mental wellbeing but, as research on animals shows, also boost the brain's neuroplasticity – that is, its ability to form new connections between nerve cells and restructure existing ones – which amounts to nothing less than new «aha» moments and learning. Pondering, daydreaming, letting one's thoughts wander, completely free from distraction: children and young people, in particular, need time and space for this.
In the digital age, many people lack this. The US psychologist and bestselling author Jonathan Haidt sees «smartphone-based childhood» as the reason for the global rise in psychiatric diagnoses among adolescents.
I wouldn't put it quite so categorically. The brain, which is the source of our sense of well-being, is in constant communication with other people and organs, such as the gut. It is part of a complex system in which various elements interact. Relationships, diet, exercise and sleep therefore have just as much influence on our well-being as media consumption. Consequently, mental health crises cannot be attributed to a single cause. There is no doubt that smartphones can contribute to problems if they are used a great deal – or even excessively – and from too early an age.
What does «early» mean in this context?
From birth right through to puberty, the brain goes through several critical phases of development. Initially, it grows rapidly and forms countless new synapses – connections between nerve cells, known as neurons. New neural connections are formed with every learning experience. The more of these there are, and the more intensively they are used and thus consolidated, the better social and cognitive skills can develop.
To achieve this, a child's brain needs real-world stimulation: movement, touch, language, free play and sensory experiences in nature, as well as direct interaction with people. With the onset of puberty, a fundamental restructuring of the brain begins, which continues throughout adolescence: underused neural connections are broken down, whilst frequently used ones are strengthened, so that the brain can function more efficiently. I certainly wouldn't buy a smartphone for children under 14. And every extra year without one is a bonus.
Why?
Smartphones are a constant distraction, tie up mental resources and can impair concentration and learning ability. Young people who scroll regularly and extensively are damaging their prefrontal cortex. That is not just my opinion, but a fact.
You'll have to explain that.
The prefrontal cortex, or frontal lobe, is our control centre and is responsible, amongst other things, for working memory, emotional regulation, and our abilities to plan, concentrate and solve problems. This area of the brain matures very slowly; its development is not largely complete until the age of 20 to 25.
Until then, adolescents are only able to think rationally to a limited extent and find it harder to suppress their impulses. This makes them particularly susceptible to distraction and immediate rewards.
The frontal cortex is like a muscle that needs to be exercised. Scrolling is also a form of brain training, but it's heading in the wrong direction.
Smartphones offer both, whether through short videos on endless loop, the prospect of more «likes» or scoring a victory in a game. The problem is that the more often adolescents give in to the urge for instant gratification, the less they exercise their prefrontal cortex. In a child's brain in particular, this can lead to a developmental delay that can be measured and observed using imaging techniques.
What can be seen on the MRI scan?
There is evidence to suggest that connections from the frontal cortex to other regions of the brain are reduced, and that, in addition, the prefrontal cortex is thinner in some areas and processing capacity is impaired. In adolescents who spend a great deal of time on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and similar platforms, the frontal cortex requires significantly more energy to perform the same tasks than in peers who have no or limited access to social media. It cannot be concluded from the studies that intensive media use or social media alone cause these changes, but the correlations are there.
What are the consequences of this?
The fact that the frontal lobe is less able to regulate impulses from other regions of the brain: attention spans decline, and the amygdala – our centre for emotions and fear – becomes overactive. I want parents to be aware of these facts. They do not allow this to happen deliberately, but because constantly fiddling with a smartphone has become a social habit – the effects of which on young people we completely underestimate.
We may regard young people as almost adults, but their brains are not. They are in a critical period during which early experiences have a long-term impact on neurobiological processes – much as there is a similar critical period for language development in early childhood.
Please explain.
In our early years, provided we receive the right input, we are effortlessly able to learn any language – something we never manage quite so easily as adults. The same applies to the ability to regulate emotions, tolerance of frustration, problem-solving skills and social skills, although these qualities take longer to develop than language.
These are factors that have been shown to be crucial to life satisfaction. Children and young people need many years to practise and consolidate such skills. Constant distraction undermines this development. The prefrontal cortex is like a muscle that needs to be exercised. Scrolling is also a form of brain training, but it takes the brain in the wrong direction.
Excessive use of social media means that the brain needs ever more stimuli and ever stronger stimulation just so that we can still feel good at all.
Why do you keep talking about «scrolling» when you're discussing harmful media consumption?
This is because passive consumption and simply letting oneself be bombarded with information, in particular, inhibit brain development. Excessive social media use, in particular, leads to overstimulation of the reward system. This is a mechanism well known from addiction research: in the face of chronic sensory overload, the brain adapts by, in a sense, «downregulating» highly sensitive structures for its own protection. As a result, the reward system becomes unbalanced over time, just as it does in addiction processes. The density of receptors for dopamine and other neurotransmitters that induce a sense of euphoria decreases.
What does that mean in practical terms?
The fact that the brain needs ever more stimuli and ever stronger stimulation just for us to feel any positive emotions at all. As a result, we need, for example, longer sessions, more extreme content or more validation through «likes» in order to feel the same level of satisfaction. Furthermore, symptoms of stress set in when the intense stimulation subsides. By comparison, everyday pleasures such as a conversation, a book or a walk seem increasingly unstimulating and unsatisfying. We are hardly able to feel good emotions any more when that intense stimulation is lacking.
Once receptors have been broken down, do they not regenerate?
You can build new ones, but that requires significantly cutting down on media consumption, embracing emptiness, and putting up with boredom – going through a sort of «detox», if you like. The brain can be «retrained», but not in a matter of weeks. It takes months, sometimes considerably longer. But actually, I'm more interested in the good news.
What exactly?
Change and growth are possible! It is precisely this neuroplasticity – the brain's ability to respond to change – which makes us susceptible to problematic patterns, but it is also the reason why we can change them again. No one is helplessly at the mercy of their reward system. The brain, as I like to say, is always full of hope – in other words, capable of continuing to develop throughout a person's life. I don't want to spread alarmism; rather, I take pleasure in helping people understand how their brain works and motivating them to take active steps to look after its health. And I want parents to learn how they can support and protect their child's brain development. There is a lack of understanding of this in our society.
At 16, children are old enough to learn how to use their own smartphone and social media.
They also criticise the recommendations made by specialist organisations regarding children's media consumption.
I asked some of them which studies their screen time guidelines were based on – they were unable to provide any further information. 30 to 60 minutes a day for eight-year-olds, 60 to 100 minutes for nine-year-olds: where do these and similar figures come from? They are made up. From a scientific point of view, there is no reason to believe that media should be introduced at an early age to get the child used to it, nor that time limits protect the child's brain from the ways in which digital media affect its development. Even setting that aside, I do not think fixed screen times make sense.
Why not?
Because they encourage the child to use up their allowance and treat it as a reward – even on busy days when they might not feel the need to do so at all.
What, then, should parents use as a guide?
There is no simple answer to this. As a rough guide: start using screen-based media as late as possible and then use them as little as possible – with clear time limits, under supervision and for specific purposes. Furthermore, a device should never be used as a reward, and children should not be allowed to use social media until they are 16.
I am convinced that children naturally ask for less screen time if they are challenged in other ways. I've noticed this particularly with our eldest, who is 14. When I say that, at that age, he doesn't need his own smartphone in his pocket and that smartphones or tablets are never allowed in his bedroom, I'm not just thinking about the potential risks to his brain.
Or what?
I also want him to do things that are good for him instead: spending time with us and friends, getting some exercise, practising his instrument, going outside. I think it's important for parents to encourage children to help out – for example, with household chores – and to pursue a passion or a hobby. This allows children to feel a sense of purpose and learn to take on responsibility, cope with setbacks, and practise perseverance, problem-solving skills and social interaction. That's the sort of stimulation a young brain needs.
Dopamine fuels desire, making us want more and more – and yet we are never satisfied.
Not having your own smartphone at 14 – that prospect would probably be hard for most teenagers to cope with.
In my experience, it works quite well, provided that young people have great peers and other ways to unwind, such as fulfilling hobbies. When they move up to sixth form, discussions often arise – that's normal. Young people of that age want to socialise, including online; that's a legitimate need that we should take seriously.
Our tried-and-tested solution at home: a simple mobile phone with no extra apps, used solely for WhatsApp groups so they can chat with friends. However, the device stays at home and has a fixed place. Children and teenagers usually have a tablet for school – and there's a further challenge in ensuring they don't use it unsupervised to browse the internet freely or watch short clips on YouTube. As parents, we should clearly ban short-form content such as these looping videos lasting just a few seconds.
Why is that?
Our brain is designed to take things in, to understand them, and to piece together the bigger picture from the bits and pieces. Shorts flood it with disjointed fragments, which it absorbs without being able to process or make sense of them. This results in short-term, extremely intense stimulation, particularly involving dopamine. However, dopamine does not give us the kind of happiness that fulfils us – that nourishes us, so to speak. It fuels desire, making us want more and more – yet we are never satisfied.
What do your children think of bans like this?
You know that for me it is not about the ban itself, but about protecting and nurturing them. After all, we don't give children alcohol to drink either. I explain the reasons behind such measures and try to do so as clearly as possible. Our children are now quite aware of what is good for their brains – and that the experiences which shape them during these years will have an impact on the rest of their lives.
So why are you always having discussions about when you'll be ready to get your own smartphone?
Of course we discuss it; that's all part of it. Around the age of 16, the brain goes through another important developmental spurt. I think that's early enough for teenagers to learn how to use their own smartphone and social media – although they still won't be able to regulate their use completely by then.
As parents, we are still expected to guide them and, so to speak, take on the role of their prefrontal cortex to some extent. And, of course, it is very important that we lead by example – and that we are transparent. For example, we parents never take our smartphones into the bedroom or to the dining table, and my children have the password for my mobile. My son often checks how much screen time I've had.
So?
I spend a lot of time on the phone; the rest amounts to a good two hours, which I mostly spend on WhatsApp or LinkedIn. According to research, that's still within the norm.
The two hours?
Yes. Several studies have concluded that mental wellbeing improves when screen time on a smartphone does not exceed two hours a day. Our own study involving young people also showed that, after three weeks of reducing screen time to a maximum of two hours a day, the participants’ mental wellbeing improved significantly, as did the quality of their sleep.
Young people who used their smartphones more frequently felt down and irritable more often, were more likely to have trouble sleeping and complained more frequently of difficulties concentrating. However, studies also clearly show that the way in which we use screen-based media plays a role: those who use them creatively and actively report feeling well, even when their screen time is higher, compared to those who scroll aimlessly through the internet.
What's more, supportive, reliable relationships are the strongest protective factor for young people, and one of the most important factors for life satisfaction. That is precisely why it is worth investing in genuine relationships and setting aside enough time for them.
