The GUTS programme is an interdisciplinary consortium across seven universities in the Netherlands and aims to answer the overarching question of how young people successfully grow up in an increasingly complex society, with a strong emphasis on self-regulation in growing up.

The ‘Social Networks’ work package, led by researchers based in Leiden, Groningen and Amsterdam, aims to understand the dynamics of complex social networks in emerging adulthood and how social relationships, the brain and individual characteristics interact over time to shape the development of young adults.

Research goal

Self-regulation refers to the ability to set goals, manage emotions, and adapt behavior to different situations. These skills are crucial in maintaining social relationships, in decision making that fits personal values, and in successfully transitioning into adulthood.

This research aims to better understand how young adults form and maintain friendships, and how these relationships are associated with brain development and self-regulation during this crucial stage of life. The insights we gain offer valuable opportunities supporting young people to a healthy and resilient adulthood.

Scientific background

Emerging adulthood, which spans from the late teens to the mid-20s, represents a transitional period in which young people grapple with increasingly complex social and academic spheres while assuming a growing number of adult responsibilities.

This shift from late adolescence to emerging adulthood, which often coincides with the transition to college, marks a period of profound identity exploration that shapes adult aspirations and goals. During this transition, young people face new obligations, expectations, and demands, sometimes conflicting or incongruent.

To successfully navigate this transition, the cultivation of self-regulatory skills becomes paramount. In addition, the role of peer networks in adjusting to college life and achieving academic success looms large. Therefore, gaining a deeper insight into the dynamics of social networks among previously unidentified college students is of utmost importance. The consortium of GUTS researchers based in Leiden, Amsterdam and Groningen will collect prospective longitudinal network, survey, and neuroimaging data among these young adults.

To this end, our project combines prospective longitudinal assessments of social networks of young adults, with self-report surveys, interviews, experiments, and neuroimaging measures.

Principal Investigators of the 'Social Networks' work package

Berna Güroğlu (Universiteit Leiden), Anna van Duijvenvoorde (Universiteit Leiden), Christian Keysers (NIN Amsterdam), Gert Stulp (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen), René Veenstra (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen).

GUTS consortium Steering Committee

Eveline Crone (programmaleider, Erasmus University Rotterdam), Lydia Krabbendam (VU Amsterdam), Berna Güroğlu (Universiteit Leiden), René Veenstra (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen), Lucres Nauta-Jansen (Amsterdam UMC), Hilleke Hulshoff Pol (Universiteit Utrecht) 

Strategic priorities

Open Science, Interdisciplinary, Translational

Projects

Self-Regulation

Self-regulation encompasses more than simply keeping yourself in check. It also involves how young people adapt their behavior in response to social norms and expectations. In this project, we will investigate how young people learn to navigate peer pressure and social norms while pursuing their personal goals and examine how this relates to brain development. This will help us better understand how social relationships provide opportunities to practice self-regulation during the transition to adulthood.

Leading researchers: Berna Güroğlu, Christian Keysers, Gert Stulp, Anna van Duijvenvoorde, René Veenstra

Co-Regulation

This research project examines the development of friendships and broader social relationships across emerging adulthood. Specifically, it focuses on co-regulation in friendships, investigating how friends help one another manage emotions, stress, and behavior in everyday contexts. Integrating theories of self-regulation and interpersonal processes, the project explores how regulatory capacities are constructed within close peer relationships. It also aims to clarify how co-regulation in friendships supports well-being and adaptive functioning during this critical developmental period.

Leading researchers: Berna Güroğlu, René Veenstra

Empathy

Empathy is the foundation of social relationships. In this project, we examine how young people empathize with and relate to others and how these interactions influence their well-being. We will explore the brain processes and social dynamics that foster empathy and examine how empathic young people contribute to social support, well-being, and friendship within their communities.

Leading researchers: Christian Keysers, Berna Güroğlu

Mental Resilience

In this project, we examine how young people maintain their well-being in the face of performance pressure and societal change. Our focus is on the role of friendship and social connection in promoting mental health and resilience. Through brain measurements, questionnaires, and longitudinal data, we will study how positive relationships and self-regulation help young people manage stress and feel mentally strong.

Leading researchers: Anna van Duijvenvoorde, Berna Güroğlu

Societal Behaviour

How do young people develop their values and become involved in society? In this project, we examine prosocial behaviour, political preferences, and sustainable behaviour during adolescence. Specifically, we investigate how young people develop their beliefs and how empathy, social norms, and group identity influence their moral choices and participation in society.

Leading researchers: Anna van Duijvenvoorde, René Veenstra

Social Reward

Reward plays a central role in guiding social behavior, from learning about ourselves to forming and maintaining relationships with others. In this project, we study how the brains of young people process social rewards when the outcomes relate to themselves, close others, or more distant peers. By combining brain imaging with data on social relationships and mental well-being, we aim to identify when shared patterns of reward processing emerge among individuals and how differences in social environments are related to variations in these neural representations.

Leading researchers: Anna van Duijvenvoorde, Berna Güroğlu, Christian Keysers

Inclusive Environments

Despite growing societal acceptance, sexually and gender diverse youth continue to face stigma, leading to disparities in health and academic outcomes. We examine how friendship networks shape these disparities. Peer relationships are central during emerging adulthood, when attitudes, norms, and political views are actively formed and reinforced, and can play an important role in maintaining or reducing negative perceptions of LGBTI+ youth.

Leading researchers: Wouter Kiekens, René Veenstra

Social networks and pro-environmental behaviour

Young generations face the threats of climate change. Understanding how young people respond to these threats is crucial. In this project, we examine how young adults’ social network and emotions shape their pro-environmental behaviour over time. Specifically, we study how friendships form around pro-environmental behaviour and how emotions related to climate change influence these dynamics. In addition, we examine whether self-regulation and pro-environmental group norms help translate pro-environmental attitudes into action.

Leading researchers: Lisa Schreuders, Evelien Broekhof, Berna Güroğlu

• emerging adulthood
• empathy
• learning
• mental health
• peer-relations
• resilience
• self-regulation
• social development
• social networks
• social norms
• wellbeing
• youth

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