From mental pollution to cognitively healthy environments

I dag tillbringar 4,9 miljarder människor i snitt två timmar om dagen i digitala miljöer. Flera studier har kopplat högre skärmtid till sämre sömn, vilket i sin tur kan påverka minnet, koncentrationsförmågan, känsloregleringen och inlärningen. En amerikansk studie från 2025 som undersöker sociala medier-beroende hos tonåringar visar hur plattformarnas algoritmer, notiser och oändliga flöden aktiverar hjärnans belöningssystem på sätt som kan förstärka tvångsmässigt användande.   

– Unga människors mentala hälsa har dramatiskt försämrats de senaste åren. Forskning indikerar att en ledande anledning till detta är att många unga en stor del av sin vakna tid matas med innehåll som skapar oro och stress, säger Dennis Pamlin, senior rådgivare på RISE.  

Today, an average of two hours a day is spent by 4.9 billion people in digital environments. Several studies have linked increased screen time to poorer sleep, which can subsequently impact memory, concentration, emotional regulation, and learning. A 2025 US study examining social media addiction among teenagers shows how the platforms’ algorithms, notifications and endless feeds activate the brain’s reward system in ways that can reinforce compulsive use.

Young people’s mental health has deteriorated dramatically in recent years. Research suggests that this is largely due to young people being exposed to anxiety- and stress-inducing content for a large proportion of their waking hours, says Dennis Pamlin, senior adviser at RISE.

This phenomenon, known as 'mental pollution', is an emerging concept in research and policy. It is based on the idea that our brains are affected by our environment in the same way that our bodies are affected by air and environmental pollution. Researchers point to various examples of phenomena that can lead to mental pollution, from fast food to websites designed to encourage impulse buying. In practice, this means that our cognitive health is impaired by our exposure to content, products, and digital environments that compete for our attention, influence our choices, and hinder our ability to think long-term.

There has been a decline in society's ability to deal with complex issues

When our ability to concentrate, our judgement, and our capacity for long-term thinking deteriorate, it affects not only us as individuals, but also society’s collective capacity to deal with complex issues. According to Dennis Pamlin, complex issues such as climate change, an ageing population and rapid technological development become virtually impossible to tackle rationally and thoughtfully.

‘Instead of viewing these challenges as opportunities for innovation and developing new solutions, people who are accustomed to immediate dopamine rewards tend to seek simplistic solutions and blame others for the problems,’ he says, continuing:

However, we have a unique opportunity to aim higher, as brain research can guide us in getting our brains to function at full capacity. If we are to turn the major challenges of our time into drivers of innovation, we will need to harness that full capacity across society.

Scrolling belongs in the same category as fast food and fast fashion.

Just as air pollution cannot be solved by asking people to 'breathe better', mental pollution cannot be tackled by asking people to go on a digital detox. The structures that affect our brains need to change. This can be achieved through different approaches to platform design, product development, measuring companies' social contribution and urban planning, for example.

“Limiting your own or your child's screen time helps to some extent, but it's like swimming against the tide, as society as a whole is full of sources of mental pollution. I tend to put scrolling in the same category as fast fashion and fast food because they’re both based on creating a need for quick dopamine hits, which often undermines our long-term mental and physical health,” says Dennis Pamlin.

While billions are being invested in technology and marketing aimed at capturing people’s attention, less than a billion dollars is being spent globally on researching cognitively healthy environments.

Dennis Pamlin highlights an emerging field of research that acts as a counterforce to mental pollution. This concept, known as 'Flourishing Lives', involves creating a society and a future in which all global citizens can live 'fantastic lives on a flourishing planet'. The core message of the report Brain Science, Brain Economics, AI and Fantastic Lives on a Flourishing Planet, which Dennis Pamlin co-authored, is that the economy of the future should be designed to develop people’s brains, well-being and potential, rather than merely boosting economic growth.

Using brain science to create cognitively healthy environments.

But what might that look like in practice? Dennis Pamlin provides an example: 'When we build schools and their surrounding areas, we need to consider what contributes to the health and wellbeing of young people.' Sports halls, libraries, rehearsal rooms, museums, science centres, outdoor gyms and spaces for creativity, physical activity and learning, both individual and group, should be prioritised over sweet shops, fast-food outlets, shopping streets and places where 'scrolling on your mobile' is the most appealing activity.'

There are also scientific methods for creating cognitively healthy environments. Marco Lucisano, Head of the Urban Development Division at RISE, explains how to measure people’s brain activity in response to different places.

It’s about the various tools of neuroarchitecture and neurodesign that help us to understand how our surroundings affect the brain.

He points out that human-centred design is not a new concept. Town planners have always sought to create communities and places where people feel at home. Sometimes, measurements of brain activity confirm what we already know, such as the fact that people feel calmer in a leafy park than in a bustling shopping centre. However, data and calculations can also be used to determine exactly how much better one option is than the other.

“Not everything needs to be rebuilt or started from scratch when we adopt this perspective. The important thing is to start somewhere. Here at RISE, we can help draw up an ROI calculation to provide a clearer picture: 'If we make this investment in this location, it will yield these results and cost this much'. This scientific basis for decision-making makes it easier to see which measures would have the greatest impact,” explains Marco Lucisano.

Hjärnvetenskap som verktyg för att skapa kognitivt hälsosamma miljöer 

Men hur kan det se ut då, rent konkret? Dennis Pamlin ger ett exempel: När vi bygger skolor och omgivningarna runt dessa, behöver vi fundera på vad som bidrar till hälsa och välmående hos unga. Det är sporthallar, bibliotek, replokaler, museum, vetenskapscentrum, utegym och andra ytor för kreativitet, rörelse och lärande, både individuellt och i grupp, som bör sättas i centrum – snarare än godisbutiker, snabbmatställen, shoppingstråk och rum där ”mobilskrollande” är den mest lockande aktiviteten. 

Och det finns även vetenskapliga metoder för att åstadkomma kognitivt hälsosamma miljöer. Marco Lucisano, divisionschef för samhällsbyggnad på RISE, berättar om sätt att mäta hur människors hjärnor reagerar på olika platser. 

– Det handlar om olika verktyg inom neuroarkitektur och neurodesign, som hjälper oss att förstå hur hjärnan påverkas av våra omgivningar.  

Han poängterar att design med människan i centrum inte är något nytt. Stadsplanerare har i alla tider försökt skapa samhällen och platser där människor trivs. Ibland bekräftar mätningar av hjärnaktivitet det man redan vet – till exempel att människor blir lugnare av att vistas i en lummig park än i ett hektiskt köpcentrum – men data och beräkningar kan användas för att få ett facit på hur mycket bättre det ena eller andra alternativet är.   

– Det är inte så att allting behöver byggas om eller byggas nytt när vi kopplar på det här perspektivet. Det viktiga är att börja någonstans. Vi på RISE kan hjälpa till att göra en ROI-kalkyl som gör det mer konkret, att ”gör vi den här satsningen på den här platsen, kommer det att ge dessa effekter och kosta så här mycket”. Med det vetenskapliga beslutsunderlaget är det lättare att se vilka åtgärder som skulle ge störst effekt, förklarar Marco Lucisano. 

Works across a wide range of issues relating to mental pollution and sustainable neurodesign.

In partnership with University College London, RISE is spearheading the world's first international centre dedicated to neuroarchitecture and neurodesign. The centre is collaborating with various organisations on projects that aim to translate scientific findings into practical design recommendations and prioritisation support.

Within the RISE-coordinated initiative, 'Flourishing Lives 4 All', in which 22 of the world’s leading innovation nations are exploring the development of tomorrow’s innovation ecosystems, thousands of innovations, tools and reports have emerged. All of these are based on the fundamental idea of designing products, services and environments for human wellbeing rather than maximum consumption. This encompasses everything from digital services that reduce distractions to urban environments that promote physical activity, community, and recovery.

Marco Lucisano believes that Sweden is particularly well placed to foster cognitively healthy environments.

There is a cultural and structural tradition in Sweden regarding our approach to placemaking, which works very well alongside new perspectives on mental pollution. Prioritising the well-being of individuals and communities has long been a key factor in our approach to urban planning. The fact that collaboration is one of our strengths in Scandinavia makes things easier too. 'We are skilled and well-practised in integrating and listening to others,' notes Marco Lucisano.