Gert G. Wagner

This study investigates the life satisfaction of basketball coaches, addressing a gap in research on sports professionals. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), it examines life satisfaction scores among basketball coaches, categorized by license level, and compares them to teachers and managers. While previous research leads to the assumption of above-average life satisfaction of coaches due to specifi c personality characteristics, e.g., higher extraversion and lower neuroticism, the results do not support these suggestions. However, no signifi cant similarities were found between A-license coaches and managers or C-license coaches and teachers. In contrast, both managers and teachers report above-average levels of life satisfaction. Although no signifi cant diff erence between A- and C-license coaches was found, the results indicate that higher license levels can be associated with greater life satisfaction. Considering current research and the results of this study, practical suggestions state that structured career development and professional support could enhance coaches’ life satisfaction. Drawing from eff ective models in related professions, recommendations emphasize mentorship, experiential learning, and innovative training strategies. The study acknowledges limitations, including its reliance on cross-sectional data and potential external infl uences such as pandemic-related restrictions. Future research should explore these dynamics in various contexts and sports disciplines to develop targeted strategies for improving coaching environments, benefi ting individual coaches, teams, and the broader sports community.

Using a DNA-based polygenic index, we explored geographical and historical differences in polygenic associations with educational attainment in East and West Germany around the time of reunification. This index was derived from a prior genome-wide association study on educational attainment in democratic countries. In 1,930 individuals aged 25 to 85 years from the SOEP-G[ene] cohort, the magnitude of polygenic associations with educational attainment did not differ between East and West Germany before reunification but increased in East Germany thereafter. This gene–environment interaction remained robust when we probed for variance dispersion. A control analysis using a polygenic index of height suggests that this interaction is unlikely to reflect a general trend toward greater genetic associations in East Germany after reunification. The observed amplification of education-genetic associations aligns with theories suggesting heightened genetic influences on educational attainment during periods of greater social and educational opportunity. We emphasize the need for replication in larger German genetic data sets.

To check claims of a "loneliness epidemic," we examined whether current cohorts of older adults report higher levels and/or steeper age-related increases in loneliness than earlier-born peers. Specifically, we used 1,068 age-matched longitudinal reports (M_{age observations} = 79 years, 49% women) of loneliness provided by independent samples recruited in the German city of Berlin in 1990 and 2010, n = 257 participants in the Berlin Aging Study (BASE) and n = 383 participants in Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II). Using multilevel models that orthogonalize between-person and within-person age effects, we examined how responses to items from the UCLA Loneliness Scale provided by observation-matched cohorts differed with age and across cohorts, and if those differences might be explained by a variety of individual factors. Results revealed that at age 79, the later-born BASE-II cohort reported substantially lower levels of loneliness than the earlier-born BASE cohort (d = -0.84), with cohort differences accounting for more than 14% of the variance in loneliness. Age trajectories, however, were parallel without evidence of cohort differences in rates of within-person age-related changes in loneliness. Differences in gender, education, cognitive functioning, and external control beliefs accounted for the lion's share of cohort-related differences in levels of loneliness. Results show that loneliness among older adults has shifted to markedly lower levels today, but the rate at which loneliness increases with age proceeds similarly as 2 decades ago. Future studies should investigate how psychosocial functioning across the life course is progressing in different sociohistorical contexts and in other age groups, such as younger and middle-aged adults. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Since the new millennium, research in the field of personality development has focused on the stability and change of basic personality traits. Motivational aspects of personality and their longitudinal association with basic traits have received comparably little attention. In this preregistered study, we applied bivariate latent growth curve model to investigated the codevelopment of nine life goals and the Big Five traits. We tested age, perceived control, gender, educational background, and regional socialization as potential moderators of codevelopment. Data came from the German Socio-Economic Panel study (N = 55,040, age range: 18-103 years) and span a study period of 13 years. During this period, the Big Five traits and life goals were assessed four times. Our findings suggest that development in broader life goal domains (e.g., self-fulfillment) is more strongly connected to personality development across the life span, whereas changes in specific goals (e.g., having children) are more closely tied to trait changes during young and middle adulthood. The strongest codevelopment was found between Openness and agentic goals with a focus on personal growth followed by codevelopment between Agreeableness and communal goals. Developmental stage and educational background moderated the codevelopment of Conscientiousness and economic achievement as well as family-related goals. Contrary to the previous research, we found that Neuroticism codeveloped with communal life goals (i.e., having a happy relationship/marriage). Our findings reinforce theoretical frameworks that highlight the role of changing opportunities, constraints, and developmental tasks across adulthood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) serves a global research community by providing representative annual longitudinal data of respondents living in private households in Germany. The dataset offers a valuable life course panorama, encompassing living conditions, socioeconomic status, familial connections, personality traits, values, preferences, health, and well-being. To amplify research opportunities further, we have extended the SOEP Innovation Sample (SOEP-IS) by collecting genetic data from 2,598 participants, yielding the first genotyped dataset for Germany based on a representative population sample (SOEP-G). The sample includes 107 full-sibling pairs, 501 parent-offspring pairs, and 152 triads, which overlap with the parent-offspring pairs. Leveraging the results from well-powered genome-wide association studies, we created a repository comprising 66 polygenic indices (PGIs) in the SOEP-G sample. We show that the PGIs for height, BMI, and educational attainment capture 22∼24%, 12∼13%, and 9% of the variance in the respective phenotypes. Using the PGIs for height and BMI, we demonstrate that the considerable increase in average height and the decrease in average BMI in more recent birth cohorts cannot be attributed to genetic shifts within the German population or to age effects alone. These findings suggest an important role of improved environmental conditions in driving these changes. Furthermore, we show that higher values in the PGIs for educational attainment and the highest math class are associated with better self-rated health, illustrating complex relationships between genetics, cognition, behavior, socio-economic status, and health. In summary, the SOEP-G data and the PGI repository we created provide a valuable resource for studying individual differences, inequalities, life-course development, health, and interactions between genetic predispositions and the environment.

Germen Für das im Jahr 2025 stattfindende 100-jährige Jubiläum des DIW Berlin und dessen Geschichte ist die hier vorgelegte Dokumentation eines 1999 geführten Gesprächs zwischen den ehemaligen DIW-Abteilungsleitern Fritz Franzmeyer und Reinhard Pohl einerseits und Gert G. Wagner andererseits von Interesse, das die Frage thematisiert, warum das Deutsche Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW Berlin) in der Öffentlichkeit seit Jahrzehnten als "arbeitnehmernah" und "keynesianisch" etikettiert wurde. Die Dokumentation wurde bislang nicht veröffentlicht; die vorliegende Fassung wurde auf Basis eines eingescannten Ausdrucks im Mai 2023 fertiggestellt; inhaltliche Änderungen wurden nicht vorgenommen. English For the 100th anniversary of DIW Berlin (German Institute for Economic Research), which will take place in 2025, and its history is a documentation presented here of a conversation between the former DIW department heads Fritz Franzmeyer and Reinhard Pohl on the one hand, and Gert G. Wagner on the other hand, which in 1999 addressed the question why DIW Berlin has for decades been perceived by the public as "pro-labor " (“arbeitnehmernah”) and "Keynesian."

Pandemic management of SARS-CoV-2 has involved temporary freedom restrictions to curb the spread of infection. In this study, citizens are asked for whom they would grant freedoms and it is examined how their granting is influenced by risk perceptions, and to what extent granting and individuals' test intentions are related to an understanding of test performance.When large-scale rapid-antigen testing was introduced as a means for pandemic management, we conducted a longitudinal study (March to May 2021) with a representative panel of German citizens who are online (N=4,991). We assessed granting of freedoms to participate in various activities (e.g., visiting restaurants) depending on health status (negative rapid antigen test, vaccinated, recovered from COVID-19, or neither), and respondents’ understanding of the performance of rapid antigen tests. An experiment with the panel (N=1,660, May 2021) investigated how information from a national health authority on the societal benefit of regular testing and on test performance relate to respondents’ test comprehension and freedom granting.Granting for tested and vaccinated people was associated with their perceived infectivity. Substantial freedoms were only granted for negatively tested and vaccinated citizens, until in May 2021 recovered people were roughly put on par with those groups. Restricting activities for other citizens who fulfilled none of these criteria remained highly accepted. Providing evidence-based information improved comprehension of test performance over a control group without information and decreased granting for negatively tested groups. Adding societal benefit information mediated this decrease in granting. Respondents testing intentions were not affected by the provided information. Citizens were uncertain about both infectivity risks and test properties. Presenting them with performance information improved understanding of test performance and reduced freedom granting for negatively tested people. Evidence-based information has the potential to inform a critical acceptance of targeted granting of freedoms as a measure of pandemic management.

Background & aims It is documented that low protein and amino-acid dietary intake is related to poorer cognitive health and increased risk of dementia. Degradation of the neuromodulatory pathways, (comprising the cholinergic, dopaminergic, serotoninergic and noradrenergic systems) is observed in neurodegenerative diseases and impairs the proper biosynthesis of key neuromodulators from micro-nutrients and amino acids. How these micro-nutrients are linked to neuromodulatory pathways in healthy adults is less studied. The Locus Coeruleus–Noradrenergic System (LC-NA) is the earliest subcortical structure affected in Alzheimer’s disease, showing marked neurodegeneration, but is also sensitive for age-related changes. The LC-NA system is critical for supporting attention and cognitive control, functions that are enhanced both by tyrosine administration and chronic tyrosine intake. The purpose of this study was to 1) investigate whether the dietary intake of tyrosine, the key precursor for noradrenaline (NA), is related to LC integrity 2) whether LC integrity mediates the reported association between tyrosine intake and higher cognitive performance (measured with Trail Making Test – TMT), and 3) whether LC integrity relates to an objective measure of brain maintenance (BrainPAD). Methods The analyses included 398 3T MRIs of healthy participants from the Berlin Aging Study II to investigate the relationship between LC integrity and habitual dietary tyrosine intake-daily average (HD-Tyr-IDA). As a control procedure, the same analyses were repeated on other main seeds of the neuromdulatory subcortical system (Dorsal and Medial Raphe, Ventral Tegmental Area and Nucleus Basalis of Meynert). In the same way, the relationships between the five nuclei and BrainPAD were tested. Results Results show that HD-Tyr-IDA is positively associated with LC integrity. Similarly, LC integrity disproportionally relates to better brain maintenance (BrainPAD). Mediation analyses reveal that only LC, relative to the other nuclei tested, mediates the relationship between HD-Tyr-IDA I and performance in the TMT and between HD-Tyr-IDA and BrainPAD. Conclusions These findings provide the first evidence linking tyrosine intake with LC-NA system integrity and its correlation with neuropsychological performance. This study strengthens the role of diet for maintaining brain and cognitive health and supports the noradrenergic theory of cognitive reserve. Within this framework, adequate tyrosine intake might increase the resilience of LC-NA system functioning, by preventing degeneration and supporting noradrenergic metabolism required for LC function and neuropsychological performance.