Recent research has repeatedly demonstrated that well-being typically evinces precipitous deterioration close to the end of life. However, the determinants of individual differences in these terminal declines are not well understood. In this study, we examine the role of perceived personal...

How socio-cultural contexts shape individual functioning is of prime interest for psychological inquiry. Secular increases favoring later-born cohorts in fluid intelligence measures are widely documented for young adults. In the current study, we quantify such trends in old age using data from...

Geduld als Basis für Lebenserfolg ist nicht nur eine Frage der Biologie und Vererbung, sondern die Eltern-Kind-Interaktion und frühkindliche Sozialisation, scheint auch im Bereich der Zeitpräferenz die „Wiege des Handelns“ zu sein. In der vorliegenden Studie werden anhand einer...

"Die meisten Menschen sind die meiste Zeit über glücklich" stellt in einer Zusammenfassung vieler empirischer Studien Biswas-Diener (2009) fest. Sogar nach einschneidenden Negativerlebnissen wie Arbeitslosigkeit oder dem Verlust des Partners passen sich die meisten Menschen recht schnell an...

Ist inzwischen zusammengewachsen, was zusammengehört? Die Prüfung dieser von Willy Brandt im November 1989 formulierten Vision erfordert eine Bilanzierung, die die Verteilung von Einkommen und Arbeitsmarktchancen ebenso in den Blick nimmt wie Haushalts- und Familienformen und die subjektiven...

Today, Germany's citizens are happier on average than at any other point in time since reunification. Even though more than 20 years have passed, the average level of happiness in eastern Germany is still significantly lower than that in western Germany. This is demonstrated by the most recent...

The Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II) is a multidisciplinary study that allows for the investigation of how a multitude of health status factors as well as many other social and economic outcomes interplay. The sample consists of 1,600 participants aged 60 to 80, and 600 participants aged 20 to...

Like many medical studies, the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE·II) is based on a non·random "convenience sample" of self·recruited participants. To study processes of selectivity in BASE·II, we used an identical questionnaire to compare BASE·II with a large, representative reference study, the...

Perceived control plays an important role in shaping development throughout adulthood and old age. Using data from the adult lifespan sample of the national German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP; N 10,000, covering 25 years of measurement), we explored long-term antecedents, correlates, and...

Delay of gratification (DoG) and delay discounting (DD) are behavioral measures of self-regulation and impulsivity. Whereas DoG refers to the postponement of gratification, DD involves the devaluation of a reward over time. Previous studies have demonstrated associations between paternal...