Dr Sophie Potter

I began working at the University of Leicester as an Early Career Fellow in 2022. Prior to this I completed my MSc in the psychology of individual differences at the University of Edinburgh and a PhD in lifespan developmental psychology at Humboldt University and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Germany.

My research focuses on successful ageing - defined as the extent to which individuals maintain high levels of wellbeing in the face of age-related challenges (e.g. physical health problems). I use largescale long-term and micro-longitudinal datasets to examine the antecedents, correlates, and consequences of successful ageing across multiple timescales. I am also interested in the (lifespan) development of wellbeing across different timescales and the role of individual difference characteristics (e.g. personality) as risk and/or resilience factors in the ageing process.

Potter, S., Drewelies, J., Wagner, J., Duezel, S., Brose, A., Demuth, I., Steinhagen-Thiessen, E., Lindenberger, U., Wagner, G. G., & Gerstorf, D. (2020). Trajectories of multiple subjective well-being facets across old age: The role of health and personality. Psychology and Aging, 35(6), 894-909. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000459

Potter, S., Gerstorf, D., Drewelies, J., Schmiedek, F., Wolff, J., & Brose, A. (2021). Health sensitivity in the daily lives of younger and older adults: Correlates and longer-term change in health. Aging and Mental Health, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2021.1913475

Potter, S., Rocke, C., Gerstorf, D., Kolodziejczak, K., Hoppmann, C., Ram, N., & Drewelies, J. (2021). Partner pain and affect in the daily lives of older couples. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbab188

Determinants of wellbeing across the lifespan

Impact of physical health on wellbeing

Individual differences in health and wellbeing

Thinking and Communicating Like a Psychologist

Psychological Research Methods

Psychology of Sports

Physical Activity Psychology Research Project

Health and wellbeing across adulthood and old age