Socio-Emotional and Motivational Processes

Research Groups

This research group investigates the impact of multiple goal pursuit on healthy aging. More specifically, their research investigates three main research strands concerning the dynamics of healthy aging: (1) how do people structure their goal systems to simultaneously allow focusing resources on selected goals while maintaining a sufficient heterogeneity, (2) motivational changes across adulthood concerning (a) altruistic goals, and (b) the response to gains and losses, (3) processes of exhaustion and recovery in adulthood. Go to projects

This lab examines health behavior change and management of health behaviors across the lifespan. We have a particular focus on processes of health behavior change in the context of patient populations in older age but also investigate behavior change as a prevention strategy to mitigate chronic disease risk. To this end, the lab established interdisciplinary collaborations with medical partners on psychosocial determinants (e.g., self-efficacy, intentions, planning) of health behaviors (e.g., medication adherence, physical activity) of people with certain health conditions (e.g., cardiovascular disease). Our research further addresses questions on quality of life and coping with illness. Go to projects

The Motivation and Emotion Group (Prof. Veronika Brandstätter, Dr. Katharina Bernecker, Charlotte Kukowski, M.Sc.) focuses on processes in personal goal pursuit and their downstream consequences on well-being, health, and performance. In various contexts (e.g., intimate relationships, leisure, sustainability), we look at self-regulatory processes involved in engagement in and disengagement from personal goals in different age groups on the individual, dyadic, and collective levels. To this end, we use lab experiments and experience-sampling methods in cross-sectional and longitudinal designs as well as machine learning approaches. Go to projects

This research group aims to identify psychobiological age-based health markers that are longitudinally associated with successful stress-management. Due to the reproductive transitional stages women experience over their life-course, especially the menopausal transition in later life, the focus of our current studies is shifted from men and women, more to female related research questions. Go to projects

While the profound impact of aversive or stressful life conditions have been repeatedly found to be related to an increased risk for the development of illnesses and disorders throughout the life course and lately, also in old age, much less is known about how aversive or stressful life conditions may help to develop abilities, strengths, and behaviours that increase resilience and may thus be beneficial for healthy ageing. The main emphasis of this research group is on the identification of links and possible mechanisms between early-life adversity, resilience and healthy ageing in a high-risk Swiss cohort of older adults. Go to projects