Young people are the innovators of society, which I find extremely interesting

Eveline Crone was one of the first researchers in the world to study adolescent brains. She examined the brain with an MRI-scanner and supplemented her findings with questionnaires and experiments. She has been following some young people for decades. The studies provide more insight into what young people need in order to develop into adults who make a positive contribution to society. Eveline Crone has won many prestigious scientific awards and has written bestsellers for parents, carers and young people about the adolescent brain. In this way, she hopes to provide scientific building blocks for a better future for young people.  

You conduct a lot of different research into the adolescent brain. What is the common outcome?

'I focus on young people because they are the innovators of society, also from a historical perspective. I find that extremely interesting and socially relevant. Since my PhD, I have been researching how young people can grow up as well as possible and stand strong in a complex society. I always look for a suitable method for each question. As a result, my research cannot be pigeonholed as solely sociology, psychology or neuroscience.

I focus on the role of emotions in development and the role of hormones in the development of those emotions. Adolescence, from 10 to 22 years of age, is the most formative period for your emotions. Scientists often find adolescent research challenging because it produces messy data. Sometimes they can't do something, then they can, the behaviour of adolescents is not very consistent. Interesting, I thought! There is really something to discover there.

Twenty-five years ago, psychology still used rational cognitive models to explain behaviour and choices. As if our brains work like computers. Sweat and heart rate measurements we took while people were making decisions show that we actually make many decisions based on our emotions or gut feelings. In my PhD research, I challenged those rational models.'

What has your team discovered in recent years?

'Much has been achieved in research into the adolescent brain, including by our team. The importance of emotions is now widely recognised. The researchers in my lab discovered the role of hormones in this. The emotional centres in the brain are more stimulated, probably because puberty hormones increase rapidly during this phase of life. The stimulation of the emotional centres in the brain also causes you to take more risks. And that's not without reason. It makes you want to explore, experiment and start romantic relationships. Leave the safety of the nest. Sometimes dangerous, but very important and good for your development. Many people immediately say: oh, so the stupid behaviour of adolescents is caused by those hormones! But of course, not all young people jump off bridges with their skateboards. So that image is not accurate. We discovered that this same stimulation of emotional centres also challenges young people to collaborate and form new friendships.'

You work closely with social scientists, neuroscientists, psychologists and young people themselves. What is the main advantage or benefit of this co-creation?

'The brain is magical and wonderful! I have been studying it for twenty years. But I also felt it was important to consult sources of knowledge outside traditional science. That's why I now do research with young people instead of just about them. We put what young people find important on the agenda. What is the role of experiential knowledge, for example?

When I joined Erasmus University five years ago, work was underway to bring together technical, social and medical sciences. We started working in a much more iterative way, inspired by industrial design methods. Physicists first calibrate their microscopes before taking a measurement. In the same way, you could also calibrate your social issues first. Are we on the right track? Over the past five years, I have given myself time to conduct research in this new way. My appointment as Erasmus Professor gave me the university's confidence to pioneer "engaged research". Financially, this was made possible by winning the Spinoza Prize. And fortunately, it is very rewarding.'

You consider it very important that your team's knowledge becomes known to society. How do you do that?

'In the book "Een dag in ons brein" (A Day in Our Brain), which I wrote this year, I follow a family in a street so that I can describe the brain from baby to elderly. Through storytelling, I make it clear that the brain is shaped by the challenges you encounter. I find it magical that at the age of eight, your brain can still learn any language. Between the ages of 4 and 8, you have more brain cells than later in life. During puberty, a pruning phase takes place, causing your brain to work more efficiently. But there are more changes throughout your life. In pregnant women, the brain changes substantially, making it easier to empathise with others. Older people, on the other hand, are better at applying wisdom. Their brains slow down a bit, but this also makes them less impulsive.'

Can you describe the social impact you and your team have made in recent years?

'Research into the adolescent brain has led to changes in the judicial system and education. Our research has contributed to the creation of juvenile criminal law.  We are now conducting participatory research with youth organisations and, for example, the police. We combine experiential knowledge with scientific evidence. This makes it much easier to get our recommendations accepted. In the living labs, we go one step further: policymakers are involved from the very beginning of the process. Our participatory research with young people on performance pressure led to a letter to the House of Commons and policy changes to the binding study advice.'

Does that make you an activist scientist?

'The mental well-being of young people, equal opportunities and their contribution to society are important, but I don't see myself as an activist. As a scientist, I prefer to work as value-free as possible and gather knowledge that is important to everyone in society. I do try to keep my antennae out for what is going on in society and politics. I try to investigate the motivations of all young people and all their perspectives. Here you also see an interesting tension in society. People often think it's important for young people to make their voices heard, to stand up for what they think is right and important. But if their demonstrations go too far, that's not the intention either. I find that a super interesting area of tension. Young people want to be seen, especially when they're in their early twenties. Activism is part of this phase of life. Although I want to conduct the research in a value-free manner, I know that as a researcher you always have a biased perspective. I think it's important to discuss this in my lab. That way, we can work together to identify all perspectives.'

How much influence do you have on the positive development of young people?

'In our research, we try to focus primarily on the strengths of young people. So we don't just identify the obstacles, but also what is going well, sometimes despite difficult circumstances. We can also debunk myths. The myth that young people are only rebellious, for example. But also the myth that generations are always at odds with each other. This is also played out in the media, such as during the coronavirus pandemic. In our data, we see that young people look up to older people as role models and that older people want to help young people. There is friction about what the different generations in society consider important. Even the early philosophers describe critical young people. Friction also provides an opportunity to take another look at your society. Every generation finds different things important. Digital health is important now, but it didn't exist in the past. However, the characteristics of young people are very similar. They just manifest themselves differently over time. Young people are the original force that takes to the streets.'

You came to Rotterdam to work more closely with young people themselves. What new research questions have young people at Albeda College or in the living labs raised?

'Our agendas fit together seamlessly: we start from the perspective of young people. My lab discovered that young people in vocational education have the same concerns as those in higher professional education and at Erasmus University. Vocational students have to juggle more balls in the air at once, which puts them under more pressure. The solutions they propose address this. Take climate change, for example. All young people consider this a problem, but not everyone has the same amount of scope to do something about it. This creates the impression that vocational students consider it less important, but our research does not support this. My dream is to break down the barriers between educational levels so that young people from vocational, higher- and university education can also study together. When social partners come up with a problem, we can work together with all educational programmes to find solutions. We call this "take action".'

What would you like to tell parents, teachers and counsellors about the adolescent brain?

'A great deal of knowledge about the adolescent brain is not yet widely known in society. For example, sleep patterns change dramatically. Sleep is now even more important because we live in a hyper-anxious society. Rest is essential during adolescence. Therefore it is good for parents to allow more time for rest.  

How did society become so hyper-anxious? I would like to discuss this with parents and young people themselves. We have conducted research into what young people cite as sources of performance pressure. Young people cite themselves as the main cause, followed by society, then parents and teachers, and finally friends and social media. Stress is not bad for your brain, but prolonged stress is. Young people themselves have very good ideas about this. We don't have to come up with all of this ourselves at the university. If we combine our knowledge with that of parents and children, we can really make an impact.

My message to politicians would be: listen to young people. Adults often think that young people "just need to let off steam" and that their rebellion will pass. Young people often end up low on the list of priorities, even though they are, of course, the future of the Netherlands.'

How can young people benefit from your research and how can they contribute to it?

'We hear that they feel heard and seen through joint research. The research has this additional effect. We know from our research that young people take risks more often and that friendships play a more important role. But a third need is that they want to be seen. This applies to everyone, of course, but this need is magnified in young people. Our goal is to reach as many young people as possible. Sometimes we miss groups that do not fill in questionnaires. For them, we have focus groups in the neighbourhood and participatory theatre with the Time-Out theatre group. Through theatre about topics that are difficult to discuss, such as polarisation, young people discover in a new way what drives them and others. By combining all these forms of research, we gain a broader and deeper understanding of what concerns young people – and young people actively contribute to that insight.'

Have you heard that your research in society is too practical?

'I also do in-depth brain research, but the crux is that you combine cutting-edge science with the social challenges of our time. This commitment gives the university extra responsibility. Society is talking back, after all. As a scientist, it is important that you feel supported by your university and that you have a place to go when the debate gets tough. Look at the US: science, the media and the judiciary are under enormous pressure. This is particularly true in scientific fields where action is now needed, such as climate science. That should make us extra alert.'

You argue that science benefits from open science, interdisciplinarity and co-creation with society. How does sharing scientific knowledge help science forward? Does it also increase opportunities for young people?

'The simple answer is: we must make use of all sources of knowledge. The word "science" implies a fundamental question: who is allowed to know? Do I know better what racism is than someone who experiences it? Philomena Essed already posed this question sharply in her book Everyday Racism. I now see three clear movements towards collaboration. First of all, there are now many more research opportunities with datasets that can be combined from all over the world. Secondly, large organisations such as KNAW and Horizon Europe are asking themselves: shouldn't science be based on wicked problems – complex issues that we think about together? A third, and in my opinion the most important input comes from young scientists themselves. They no longer want to participate in the rat race. They no longer want to work solo in their rooms on publications – this desire has given rise to the knowledge and appreciation movement: a call to connect knowledge more closely with society. This movement towards collaboration and social engagement is unstoppable. This is a new era. I am very excited to see what the future holds.'