Stress is a part of everyday life, but not everyone responds to it in the same way. This thesis explores why some people remain mentally healthier than others, even under high levels of stress. The findings show that resilience is shaped by both psychological and biological factors. People who tend to interpret stressful situations more positively develop fewer mental health problems than expected. The brain’s reward system also plays a key role, with differences in reward processing linked to resilience. Together, these insights provide a basis for real-life applications that target both how people interpret stress and how the reward system is engaged. The research further shows that support can be offered at moments when stress increases, through brief smartphone-based interventions delivered during stressful situations. These findings offer new opportunities to help reduce and prevent stress-related mental health problems.
Sophie Bögemann (1993) studied Psychobiology and Neurobiology at the University of Amsterdam and earned a double Master’s in Neuroscience at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Aarhus University. In 2019, she started her PhD at the Donders Institute and Radboud university medical center. She works as a researcher in the DESTRESS consortium on stress and mental health at work.