Marcus Grüschow

The world is facing a mental health crisis triggered by increasingly uncertain life prospects and stressful work environments. Anxiety, depression, and burnout are on the rise and the leading cause for disability worldwide.

These stress-related mental disorders not only impact on the affected individuals but also on their families, friends and co-workers. The related societal burden is estimated to cause global productivity losses of over $1 trillion yearly, emphasizing a strong societal need for addressing the problem of stress-related psychopathology.

In his fellowship, Marcus and his team aim to develop a preventive pupil-based feedback training regime that enhances stress resilience and prevents individuals to be affected by stress-related disorders. Pupil dilation feedback is used because the pupil directly reflects the activity of the stress system.  

The new technology will equip individuals, companies, and other organizations with an effective tool to prepare for stress exposure. It has the potential to dampen the impact of stress and thereby reduce the psychological and economic burden associated with stress-related productivity decrease and psychopathology.

Affiliation: Prof. Dr. Christian Ruff

Start date: 07/2022