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Denis Gerstorf

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Prof. Dr. Denis Gerstorf, Professor für Entwicklungspsychologie an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Denis Gerstorf (born 1976) is a German psychologist and Professor of Developmental Psychology at Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany. His research is focused on lifelong development, as well as on the role of historical change for adult development and aging and the interlinkage of developmental processes across various different time scales.

Career

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Denis Gerstorf studied psychology at Free University of Berlin, where he completed his degree in 2001 with a diploma thesis on psychological predictors of longevity among centenarians. In 2004, he was awarded a doctorate for his dissertation on heterogeneity and differential development in old age from a systemic and holistic perspective.[1]

Following his time at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, Gerstorf worked as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville (2005–2007), before taking up in 2007 a position as Assistant Professor at Pennsylvania State University in State College. In 2011, he was appointed as Professor of Developmental and Educational Psychology at Humboldt University of Berlin.[2][3] Since 2015, Gerstorf is the speaker of the interdisciplinary, multi-institutional consortium of the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II).[4] There, he leads the psychology unit, which focuses on psychosocial aspects such as well-being, personality, and stress regulation. In addition, since 2011 he has been a Research Fellow of the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin).[3] Between 2011 to 2021, Gerstorf also held the position of Adjunct Professor at Pennsylvania State University.

Personal life

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Denis Gerstorf was born in the former German Democratic Republic and grew up in the foothills of the Harz Mountains. Since 2007, he has been married to Dr Sandra Gerstorf.[5]

Editorial roles

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Gerstorf has served in several different roles as (co-)editor of peer-reviewed academic journals, including Gerontology, Psychology and Aging and the International Journal of Behavioral Development. Alongside Christiane Hoppmann, Gerstorf is the incoming co-editor of the 10th edition of the Handbook of the Psychology of Aging series.[6]

Research

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The work from Gerstorf and colleagues on the changing nature of age and aging has shown that older adults—particularly in Europe and North America—are now often cognitively and physically healthier, happier, and more content than their age peer several decades ago. They tend to feel less lonely and perceive greater control over their lives. The media narrative “70 is the new 50” originates from a 2015 publication in which Gerstorf and colleagues showed that today’s 75-year-olds display cognitive performance comparable to that of 56-year-olds in the early 1990s[7] Recent research of Gerstorf has documented worsening in multiple psychosocial factors such as loneliness for middle-aged adults in the US, comparing them to other countries as well as previous US generations.[8] Comparable trends are evident in other areas of life, such as cognitive performance and physical health.[9] Other topics in Gerstorf’s research include the phenomenon of terminal decline,[10] and the interplay of developmental processes across multiple time scales—from moment-to-moment changes throughout the day to broader trends spanning years and decades.[11] This research has demonstrated significant and lasting influence of environmental and social factors on individual functioning and development.[12][13]

Recognition

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Gerstorf has received the Early Career Achievement Award in Research on Adult Development and Aging from the American Psychological Association (Division 20),[14] the Early Career Contributions Award in Behavioral and Social Gerontology from the Gerontological Society of America,[15]), and election as a Fellow of the same society.[16] In 2020, he received the Richard Kalish Innovative Publication Article Award from the Gerontological Society of America, for a conjoint work with Hans-Werner Wahl.[17]

In collaboration with researchers around the globe, Gerstorf has authored around 300 peer-reviewed articles in psychological and developmental journals, including Psychological Science, American Psychologist, Psychology and Aging, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and Journals of Gerontology.

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ Denis Gerstorf (2004). Eine systemisch-holistische Perspektive: Heterogeneity and differential development in old age: A systemic-wholistic approach (Thesis). Freie Universität Berlin. doi:10.17169/REFUBIUM-5240.
  2. ^ "Prof. Dr. Denis Gerstorf – Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin". Retrieved 2025-06-10.
  3. ^ a b "Denis Gerstorf – DIW Berlin". Retrieved 2025-06-10.
  4. ^ "Berliner Altersstudie II (BASE-II)". Retrieved 2025-06-10.
  5. ^ "EinxZwei Paartherapie – Dr. Sandra Gerstorf". Retrieved 2025-06-10.
  6. ^ K. W. Schaie, S. L. Willis (2021). Handbook of the Psychology of Aging (9th ed.). Elsevier Science & Technology. ISBN 9780128160947.
  7. ^ Gerstorf, Denis; Ram, Nilam; Mayraz, Gali; Smith, Jacqui; Lindenberger, Ulman (2015). "Secular changes in late-life cognition and well-being: Towards a long bright future with a short brisk ending?". Psychology and Aging. 30 (2): 301–310. doi:10.1037/pag0000016. PMID 25799003.
  8. ^ Infurna, F. J.; Gerstorf, Denis (2024). "Loneliness in midlife: Historical increases and elevated levels in the United States compared with Europe". American Psychologist. doi:10.1037/amp0001322. PMC 11758892. PMID 38497781.
  9. ^ Wettstein, Martin; Infurna, F. J.; Gerstorf, Denis (2025). "Trajectories of episodic memory in midlife: Historical change from a cross-country perspective". Psychology and Aging. 40 (2): 197–217. doi:10.1037/pag0000870. PMC 11875983. PMID 39679986.
  10. ^ Gerstorf, Denis; Ram, Nilam; Röcke, Christiane; Lindenberger, Ulman; Smith, Jacqui (2010). "Late-life decline in well-being across adulthood in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States: Something is seriously wrong at the end of life". Psychology and Aging. 25 (2): 477–485. doi:10.1037/a0017543. PMC 2975938. PMID 20545432.
  11. ^ Gerstorf, Denis; Wettstein, Martin; Hülür, Gizem; Schupp, Jürgen; Lindenberger, Ulman (2023). "Long-term aging trajectories of the accumulation of disease burden as predictors of daily affect dynamics and stressor reactivity". Psychology and Aging. 38 (8): 763–777. doi:10.1037/pag0000779. PMID 37824238.
  12. ^ Wahl, Hans-Werner; Gerstorf, Denis (2018). "A conceptual framework for studying context dynamics in aging (CODA)". Developmental Review. 50: 155–176. doi:10.1016/j.dr.2018.09.003.
  13. ^ Hoppmann, Christiane; Gerstorf, Denis (2009). "Spousal Interrelations in Old Age – A Mini-Review". Gerontology. 55 (4): 449–459. doi:10.1159/000211948. PMID 19346740.
  14. ^ "APA Division 20 Awards". Retrieved 2025-06-10.
  15. ^ "GSA Awards". Retrieved 2025-06-10.
  16. ^ "GSA Current Fellows". Retrieved 2025-06-10.
  17. ^ "GSA Kalish Award". Retrieved 2025-06-10.
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