“I’m interested in why some people cope better with stress than others, and which psychological processes promote resilience,” explains Wenzel. His research aim is to combine digital technologies and psychological insights in such a way as to develop personalised health interventions that support people at an early stage and in the context of their everyday lives. “I don’t want to wait until serious stress or illness has already set in to improve mental health; I want to promote it preventively,” he says. In the long term, he envisages a scientifically grounded ‘psychological navigation system’ that offers individual support exactly when it is needed – thereby contributing to a healthier and more resilient society.

In his work, he combines basic and applied research. One focus is on investigating emotional reactions and recovery processes in everyday life. In doing so, Wenzel explores how people can learn to deal with stress and distressing emotions in a flexible and situation-appropriate manner. Using digital technologies and so-called ambulatory assessment methods, he examines psychological processes directly in everyday life, thereby laying the foundations for tailored support services.

Wenzel has already successfully secured external funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG) for his research. Among other things, he leads a DFG-funded project on the significance of situations for emotion regulation in everyday life. His academic work appears regularly in internationally renowned journals and deals, amongst other topics, with emotion regulation, resilience, self-control and psychological well-being.