Erik Scherder: “Not stimulation, but challenge!”

Erik Scherder is a professor of clinical neuropsychology at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, but is best known as an enthusiastic science communicator on everything related to the brain. During the trade fairs Electronics & Application and LabNL, Scherder will give his keynote speech on the positive effects of exercise on the brain and lifelong learning. Because modern man needs a continuous challenge, but according to the professor, he does not seek it out enough. FHI spoke with him.

By: Dimitri Reijerman

“Work should preferably challenge you,” says Scherder. Also after and during a well-deserved or not so well-deserved summer holiday: “Because challenge means making an effort. Some people spend their holidays going on walks, visiting big cities or immersing themselves in museums. That is making an effort. Lying on the beach and staring at the blue sky takes considerably less effort. If you have remained active during your holiday, your start-up to go to work is easier than after an inactive holiday. The brain functions that have to do with making decisions and motivation decline if you have hardly used them for a while. So keep challenging yourself sufficiently during the holiday period.”

Because the temptation to do absolutely nothing during a holiday is logically great, says Scherder: “I understand the temptation to put the white wine on the table. But by doing so you run the risk of also ruining your health, because you don't normally do that. Research shows that you have to stay active. And don't forget, challenging doesn't have to be 'normal' work. Volunteer work is that too.”

Technology makes you lazy

Modern technology can make people (too) lazy by removing the challenge, the 'brain professor' believes: “What you see is that it has become very attractive to do less and less mental effort to do. Think of the development of AI for example, but it already started with the invention of the remote control for the television. In the past you would get up to switch to another channel, now you passively sit on the couch. Evolutionarily speaking, we like it when things are made easier for us, as described in the law of least mental effort and the law of the least physical effort.”

“From the medical world, you can only be enthusiastic about all the technological developments. Recently, a song by Pink Floyd was read out based on brain waves with electrodes on the brain. This could mean that in the future, someone with speech disorders will still have opportunities for communication. But now I see that students at the VU can print out their essays with Chat-GPT. That is of course not the mental effort that the brain needs, on the contrary: it only makes you lazier. We do not need stimuli, but challenges!”

Keep moving

According to the professor of neuropsychology, visitors to E&A and LabNL often do not move enough during their work. That has consequences, says Scherder: “They are often sedentary professions. I want to make it clear to them that sitting for too long does not contribute to a healthy lifestyle. Make sure you move enough between your work. That way you keep yourself sharp and you can work more concentrated. In the long run, it also prevents chronic diseases. For example, I interrupt my lectures every half hour to do three minutes of squats.”

But even at home, you can keep your brain healthy as a worker: “Think about a good day-night rhythm. Use the bedroom for only two things and don't exercise two hours before going to sleep. And the blue light from your mobile phone can also disturb your sleep.”

In short, according to Scherder, it is healthier to think more often, despite the accessibility of modern technology: “If you look at studies on multimedia use, you see that people process stimuli more and more superficially. Think of the use of social media. We don't go into depth much anymore and that reduces your attention capacity. In that respect, we are worse off than we were fifty years ago.”

“I am very optimistic by nature, but we need to slow down the rise and influence of AI. If you ask me if all laptops should disappear from lecture halls, I would say yes. Some students just watch a movie during a lecture, which distracts other students. Just pick up a notepad again.”

Prof. Dr. Erik Scherder will open the Electronics & Applications and LabNL trade fairs on Tuesday 26 September. He will talk about the effect of exercise on the brain, the relationship between exercise, behaviour and mental health, work stress and memory. Register for free to visit Electronics & Applications or LabNL to attend the lecture.