Age stereotypes are learned early in life (1.), become views of one’s own aging (2.), and shape development in old age (3.)
Graphic: Klaus RothermundPrincipal Investigator: Klaus Rothermund
What is aging? From a psychological perspective, aging happens mostly in our heads, it reflects the result of a social and individual construction. In the BASIC lab, we study how aging is shaped by age stereotypes, age norms, and by our personal expectations and interpretations of age-related changes, opportunities, and losses.
To investigate the influence of psychological aging on the aging process, and its relation to biological and epigenetic markers of aging (cell age, brain age), we will assess different types of age indicators for a large sample of middle-aged and old adults in the age range from 40-90 years who participated in the Ageing-as-Future project. This allows us to investigate their mutual inter-relations, and to compare their short-term and long-term effects on well-being, life satisfaction, and health.
Doctoral researcher: Fabio Selovin
Postdoctoral researcher: Clara de Paula Couto