Biological psychologist Lianne de Vries talks in the podcast Stress Navigation about research into stress and resilience.
In the episode “Stress, resilience and well-being in daily life with Lianne de Vries,” we take a deeper dive into De Vries’s research on stress and resilience in relation to mental health and well-being. She studies this both over the long term and in terms of daily dynamics and impact. “In daily life, stress, resilience, and well-being are measured using short questionnaires and online diaries via the phone. This is called Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA). With this measurement method, researchers hope to assess daily stress and recovery from it,” says De Vries.
We also discuss social stress. Some people thrive when surrounded by many others, while others feel better when they are alone. When does social interaction become too much and lead to social stress? And when does being alone turn into loneliness?
Individual differences in stress and well-being are extremely interesting and are widely studied in genetic research, such as the twin studies of the Netherlands Twin Register (NTR) at VU Amsterdam. In the NTR, twins are followed for many years to measure genetic, biological, and social characteristics for scientific research. These data are of enormous value for various studies, including stress research within Stress in Action.
Stress in Action
Stress in Action is a research project in which seven Dutch universities and university medical centers collaborate in a long-term study on stress, funded by the NWO Gravitation Programme. Stress can pose a threat to our health. Using modern measurement and analysis techniques, the research group maps the emotional, cognitive, biological, and behavioral responses to stress in daily life. Currently, more than 90 consortium members are working on various themes and projects, from four different perspectives, toward a beautiful and ambitious goal. In large-scale population studies, we investigate which environmental and personal factors influence stress and how stress can lead to mental and physical illnesses. With this new knowledge, methods are being developed to monitor and reduce stress in daily life and thereby prevent the development of stress-related diseases.
The podcast Stress Navigation is an initiative of Stress in Action. We publish episodes in both English and Dutch. The Dutch episodes are hosted by Myrte Schoenmakers, PhD candidate in the Department of Biological Psychology at VU Amsterdam. More information about Stress in Action can be found on our website.