(SAULT STE. MARIE, ON – April 10, 2026) Algoma University congratulates undergraduate Psychology student Navdeep Kaur (Nav) on earning the Undergraduate Research Award for her research, “The Impact of Mindfulness and Social Media Detox on Stress and Well-being in Undergraduate Students,” exploring how digital habits and mindfulness practices shape student mental health.
Recognizing the rise in student mental health challenges linked to social media, Nav designed a research project exploring an alternative to full digital detox, specifically, replacing habitual scrolling with a mindfulness-based stress reduction program.
Nav conducted a four-week study among 60 Algoma University undergraduate students, under the supervision of Assistant Professor of Psychology, Dr. Karolina Bearss, dividing students into two groups, including a Detox Only control group, who cut their social media use by 50 per cent, and a Detox and Mindfulness experimental group, who also cut their use by 50 per cent while adding 15 minutes of daily mindfulness.
“While social media was designed for connection, it frequently triggers cognitive overload, perceived stress, and social isolation,” said Navdeep Kaur. “Traditional digital detoxes focus solely on removing the phone. My research proposes a novel intervention: replacing the scrolling habit with an internal tool, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). MBSR helps regulate the brain’s stress centre and strengthens cognitive focus, supporting students through the difficult habit-breaking process. My success at this conference and within my research is a great reflection of the quality of student-led initiatives fostered by Algoma U’s faculty, particularly Dr. Bearss.”
While both groups reported statistically significant improvements in stress and well-being, the mindfulness group demonstrated a very strong practical benefit. Participants specifically rated mindfulness tools such as the S.T.O.P. technique and Grounding exercises as extremely valuable for successfully breaking their scrolling habits.
“Nav has represented not only my lab, the School of Psychology, but also Algoma University with great dedication, determination, honour, intelligence and hard work,” said Dr. Karolina Bearss. “This award highlights the high-calibre, competitive undergraduate research originating from Algoma University’s School of Psychology.
Building on the momentum of the Undergraduate Research Award win, Nav’s research has been accepted for a poster presentation at the national level, where she will represent Algoma University at the Interdisciplinary Conference in Psychology (ICP 2026) at the University of Ottawa in May. Nav recently completed her honours thesis and will soon graduate from Algoma University with an Honours Bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
To view photos from the event, click here.
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