HEEP Research Featured on the Cover of UZH Magazin!
Under Pressure:
Stress, Crises, and the Power of Human Adaptation
We’re thrilled to share that HEEP’s work on human resilience and environmental mismatch has been featured on the cover of the latest issue of the UZH Magazin (3/25), titled “Was uns stark macht – Krisen, Stress und Resilienz.” (Read the article here: https://www.news.uzh.ch/en/articles/news/2025/into-the-woods.html)
The issue dives deep into one of the defining challenges of our time: how humans respond to chronic stress and crisis, both individually and collectively. With rising global instability, environmental disasters, and everyday pressures weighing heavily on modern life, the question of what makes us strong has never felt more urgent — or more interdisciplinary.
At the heart of the feature is an exploration of how evolutionary anthropology can inform our understanding of stress, resilience, and adaptation. The article draws on insights from HEEP’s research into environmental mismatch, where the modern world clashes with the environments our biology evolved to navigate. Our cities may be fast, loud, and stressful — but evolution has equipped us with powerful adaptive tools. And, as our research shows, when those tools are supported by well-designed environments, the effects can be transformative.
It’s an honour to see this work showcased on the cover of the UZH Magazin alongside contributions from across the university — from political science to psychology to art history — all tackling the big question: How do we stay strong in a world under pressure?
