Paul-B.-Baltes Lecture

Date: Oct 9, 2024
Time: 06:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Speaker: Laura L. Carstensen, Stanford Center on Longevity, Stanford University
Location: Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften (BBAW) Leibniz-Saal Markgrafenstraße 38, 10117 Berlin
Room: Leibniz-Saal
Host: Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Contact: seklindenberger@mpib-berlin.mpg.de

Emotional Well-being and Age: The Role of Shifting Time Horizons

Laura L. Carstensen, Psychology Professor, Stanford Center on Longevity, Stanford University

Among the most surprising findings in social science is that emotional well-being improves with age. I will discuss empirical evidence for the findings and offer a theoretical framework that accounts for improvements in emotional experience as we age. The perception of time is key: Recognition of mortality and steady constraints on time horizons change motivation in fundamental ways. Preferences change. Cognitive resources are directed toward positive information. Priority is placed on emotional meaning. Together, these changes benefit mental health.

The Paul B. Baltes Lecture is a joint initiative of the psychology institutes in Berlin and Potsdam (Freie Universität, Humboldt-Universität, Technische Universität, Universität Potsdam, Max Planck Institute for Human Development). It honors Paul B. Baltes, the former director of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, for his outstanding contributions to the psychology of the lifespan and for his services to psychological research in the Berlin-Potsdam area.
We would be delighted to welcome you to the Paul B. Baltes Lecture 2024 and the reception afterwards.
With best wishes, also on behalf of the Paul B. Baltes Lecture initiative group and the BBAW.