Cornelia Wrzus
Biographic Data
| ID | 3872877 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Cornelia Wrzus |
| GIVEN NAMES | Cornelia |
| FAMILY NAME | Wrzus |
| SIGNATURE | WRZUS C |
| AFFILIATIONS | Heidelberg University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6290-959X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 44 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 188 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 44 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Similarity of Major Life-Event Perceptions and Relationship Satisfaction Among Romantic Couples: The Case of Moving in Together
This study examined the similarity of partners’ event perceptions of a major life event (i.e., moving in together as a couple) and how similarity relates to relationship satisfaction. Considering event perceptions from multiple individuals can enhance knowledge of the event itself and the relationship dynamics in which it occurs. Using multilevel models, we analyzed data from N = 400 participants (200 couples), who provided self- and partner-repo…
Dynamic networks of social contact, social desire, and affect across time scales
Social relationships are central to well-being because they fulfill social affiliation needs. To explain how social needs are regulated, theories describe daily-life processes among social desire, social contact, and affect. Still, these processes remain empirically underexplored because of their complexity. In this study, we estimated multivariate associations of social desire and affect with social contact across different modalities (in-person…
Person-related selection bias in mobile sensing research: Robust findings from two panel studies
In psychology, mobile sensing is increasingly used to record behavior in real-life situations. However, little is known about the selectivity of samples participating in these new data collection approaches and thus about potential risks to the validity of research findings. We therefore investigated two potential sources of selection bias in smartphone-based data collections. Specifically, we examined whether smartphone system ownership (Android…
Effects of Reflective Processes on Social–Emotional Trait Development in Adulthood: Insights From Two Multi‐Method Studies
OBJECTIVE: This research investigates how reflective processes, such as past-temporal and social comparisons, enhance changes in explicit and implicit self-concepts of social-emotional traits and whether these effects differ with age. METHOD: We conducted two preregistered multi-method studies to examine whether past-temporal or social comparisons predict changes in emotional stability and extraversion. In the longitudinal study (N = 615, aged 18…
Mixed reality and real-life exercises for mass casualty incidents: A comparison of psychological responses and learning
Well-prepared medical first responders (MFRs) are indispensable for effectively managing mass casualty incidents (MCIs). Still, the gold standard for training, high-fidelity real-life exercises (RLEs), is infrequently implemented due to high organizational effort and costs. Mixed reality (MR), where MFRs train in a virtual environment with haptic feedback from manikins, may be a viable training alternative. This study aimed to explore strengths, …
Self-reflections across the adult lifespan: Associations with personality traits in a binational sample
Within-person variability and couple synchrony in state relationship satisfaction: Testing predictors and implications
To better understand romantic relationship development, research has focused on how trait relationship satisfaction develops across months and years. However, because romantic relationships evolve in daily life, it is critical to also examine state relationship satisfaction and its fluctuations across and within days. In this preregistered study, we examined how strongly romantic partners vary in their state relationship satisfaction (within-pers…
Knowing yourself and your partner: Accuracy of personality judgment in recently cohabiting couples
Big Five personality traits and states are positively associated with each other. However, most of this knowledge is based on intrapersonal perception (i.e., either self- or partner reports), and little is known about the associations based on interpersonal perception (i.e., combining self- and partner reports). Such knowledge, however, would be crucial in understanding how accurately close others (e.g., romantic partners) perceive each other's p…
Affiliation motive and social interactions in people’s daily life: A temporal processes approach using ecological momentary assessment and mobile sensing
Individual differences in social traits such as the affiliation motive are closely linked to the formation and maintenance of social relationships. Most previous research focused on long-term characteristics or momentary assessments of social relationships (e.g., social network size, relationship quality), whereas theoretical accounts have emphasized the temporal dynamics, that is, how social interactions unfold over time. The present studies exa…
Individual differences in short-term social dynamics: Theoretical perspective and empirical development of the social dynamics scale
People have a need to form and maintain fulfilling social contact, yet they differ with respect to with whom they satisfy the need and how quickly this need is deprived or overly satiated. These social dynamics across relationships and across time are theoretically delineated in the current article. Furthermore, we developed a questionnaire to measure individual differences in three aspects of such social dynamics: (a) Family-friends interdepende…
Current opportunities and challenges of immersive virtual reality for psychological research and application
Immersive virtual reality (iVR), that is, digital stereoscopic 360° scenarios usually presented in head-mounted displays, has gained much popularity in medical, educational, and consumer contexts in the last years. Recently, psychological research started to utilize the theoretical and methodological advantages of iVR. Furthermore, understanding cognitive, emotional, and behavioral processes in iVR similar to real-life is a genuinely psychologica…
A developmental perspective on personality–relationship transactions: Evidence from three nationally representative samples
OBJECTIVE: Throughout their lives, people experience different relationship events, such as beginning or dissolving a romantic relationship. Personality traits predict the occurrence of such relationship events (i.e., selection effects), and relationship events predict changes in personality traits (i.e., socialization effects), summarized as personality-relationship transactions. So far, evidence was partly inconsistent as to how personality tra…
Neuroticism, emotional stress reactivity and recovery in daily life: Examining extraversion and openness as moderators
Emotional stressor reactivity and recovery from stressors are associated with the personality trait neuroticism. We examined whether higher extraversion or openness might buffer these associations in daily life. Participants from two age-heterogeneous samples (lifespan: n = 364, aged 14–88 years; late adulthood: n = 170, aged 66–89 years) answered personality questionnaires and reported their momentary negative affect (NA) and stressors six times…
Persons in contexts: The role of social networks and social density for the dynamic regulation of face-to-face interactions in daily life
Current psychological theories on daily social interactions emphasize individual differences yet are underspecified regarding contextual factors. We aim to extend this research by examining how two context factors shape social interactions in daily life: how many relationships people maintain and how densely people live together. In Study 1, 307 German participants ( M age = 39.44 years, SD age = 14.14) answered up to 20 experience sampling quest…
Are state–trait fit and state–situation fit relevant for within-person dynamics of personality states
Fit hypotheses are a common theme in psychological theories. Various theoretical approaches postulate that fit is also relevant for the within-person dynamics of personality states. A better understanding of these dynamics is important to comprehend the functioning of personality and its relations to relevant life outcomes. Two forms of fit are relevant for personality states: personality states that fit with characteristics of the current situat…
Ecological Momentary Assessment: A Meta-Analysis on Designs, Samples, and Compliance Across Research Fields
Ecological Momentary Assessments (i.e., EMA, repeated assessments in daily life) are widespread in many fields of psychology and related disciplines. Yet, little knowledge exists on how differences in study designs and samples predict study compliance and dropout—two central parameters of data quality in (micro-)longitudinal research. The current meta-analysis included k = 477 articles (496 samples, total N = 677,536). For each article, we coded …
The role of extraversion and neuroticism for experiencing stress during the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic
Although long postulated, it has been scarcely researched how personality traits play out differently in distinct situations. We examined if Neuroticism and Extraversion, personality traits known to moderate stress processes, function differently in highly stressful situations requiring reduced social contact, that is, the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on past findings, we expected neuroticism to be associated with exacerbated perceptions of stress. I…
Is the Smartphone Friend and Foe? Benefits and Costs of Self-reported Smartphone Use for Important Life Domains in a Representative German Sample
Smartphones are ubiquitous today, yet opinions differ as to whether the benefits or downsides of smartphone use predominate. Using the age-representative ‘Innovation Sample’ of the German Socio-Economic Panel study ( N = 5,131, age M = 52.26, 17–96 years), this study examined associations between self-reported smartphone use and three life domains: individual well-being (psychological well-being, sleep); interpersonal relationships (social isolat…
Social dynamics and affect: Investigating within-person associations in daily life using experience sampling and mobile sensing
Social interactions are crucial to affective well-being. Still, people vary interindividually and intraindividually in their social needs. Social need regulation theories state that mismatches between momentary social desire and actual social contact result in lowered affect, yet empirical knowledge about this dynamic regulation is limited. In a gender- and age-heterogenous sample, German-speaking participants ( N = 306, 51% women, M age = 39.41,…
Loneliness is associated with the subjective evaluation of but not daily dynamics in partner relationships
Loneliness describes a perceived deficiency in quantitative or qualitative aspects of individuals’ social relationships. Whereas the health-related consequences of loneliness are well-documented, surprisingly little is known about its interpersonal features and its consequences for relationship outcomes. In the present study, we investigated the association between loneliness and relationship experiences in partner relationships with a sample of …
Resuming social contact after months of contact restrictions: Social traits moderate associations between changes in social contact and well-being
The incremental validity of average states: A replication and extension of Finnigan and Vazire (2018)
806) that involved global self- and informant-reports and employed a variety of different experience-sampling methods (time-based with different sampling schedules, event-based). Across all studies, the original results (i.e., no incremental effects of average self-reported states) were replicated. Furthermore, as an extension to the original study, we found that average other-reported states (provided by peers, results based on one study) did in…
Hard-working in general but lazy at home? Generalized Big Five traits and relationship-specific traits in romantic couples over time
Longitudinal coupling of momentary stress reactivity and trait neuroticism: Specificity of states, traits, and age period
Personality traits like neuroticism show both continuity and change across adolescence and adulthood, with most pronounced changes occurring in young adulthood. It has been assumed, but insufficiently examined, that trait changes occur gradually over the years through the accumulation of daily experiences. The current longitudinal measurement burst study examined (a) how changes in average momentary stress reactivity are coupled with changes in t…
Daily life processes predict long-term development in explicit and implicit representations of Big Five traits: Testing predictions from the Tessera (Triggering situations, Expectancies, States and St…
This study examined daily life processes and their contribution to long-term continuity and change in explicit and implicit representations of Big 5 traits. The TESSERA framework (Wrzus & Roberts, 2017) served as theoretical background to derive predictions on 3 linked research questions (RQ) regarding (a) trait-state associations (RQ1); (b) antecedents and consequences of personality states (RQ2); as well as (c) processes of personality developm…
Social network changes and life events across the life span: A meta-analysis
For researchers and practitioners interested in social relationships, the question remains as to how large social networks typically are, and how their size and composition change across adulthood. On the basis of predictions of socioemotional selectivity theory and social convoy theory, we conducted a meta-analysis on age-related social network changes and the effects of life events on social networks using 277 studies with 177,635 participants …
The policy relevance of personality traits
Personality traits are powerful predictors of outcomes in the domains of education, work, relationships, health, and well-being. The recognized importance of personality traits has raised questions about their policy relevance, that is, their potential to inform policy actions designed to improve human welfare. Traditionally, the use of personality traits in applied settings has been predicated on their ability to predict valued outcomes, typical…
Affective and cardiovascular responding to unpleasant events from adolescence to old age: Complexity of events matters
Two studies investigated the overpowering hypothesis as a possible explanation for the currently inconclusive empirical picture on age differences in affective responding to unpleasant events. The overpowering hypothesis predicts that age differences in affective responding are particularly evident in highly resource-demanding situations that overtax older adults' capacities. In Study 1, we used a mobile phone-based experience-sampling technology…
Measuring time use in surveys - Concordance of survey and experience sampling measures
Daily life processes predict long-term development in explicit and implicit representations of Big Five traits: Testing predictions from the Tessera (Triggering situations, Expectancies, States and St…
This study examined daily life processes and their contribution to long-term continuity and change in explicit and implicit representations of Big 5 traits. The TESSERA framework (Wrzus & Roberts, 2017) served as theoretical background to derive predictions on 3 linked research questions (RQ) regarding (a) trait-state associations (RQ1); (b) antecedents and consequences of personality states (RQ2); as well as (c) processes of personality developm…
Longitudinal coupling of momentary stress reactivity and trait neuroticism: Specificity of states, traits, and age period
Personality traits like neuroticism show both continuity and change across adolescence and adulthood, with most pronounced changes occurring in young adulthood. It has been assumed, but insufficiently examined, that trait changes occur gradually over the years through the accumulation of daily experiences. The current longitudinal measurement burst study examined (a) how changes in average momentary stress reactivity are coupled with changes in t…
Predictors of volitional personality change in younger and older adults: Response surface analyses signify the complementary perspectives of the self and knowledgeable others
Personality-situation transactions from adolescence to old age
People presumably choose and create their daily environments according to their personality. Prior research shows that, for example, more extraverted people engage more often in social situations, and more conscientious people engage more often in work-related activities compared with less extraverted or less conscientious people, respectively. The current study examined such personality-situation transactions in people's daily life. Based on the…
The incremental validity of average states: A replication and extension of Finnigan and Vazire (2018)
806) that involved global self- and informant-reports and employed a variety of different experience-sampling methods (time-based with different sampling schedules, event-based). Across all studies, the original results (i.e., no incremental effects of average self-reported states) were replicated. Furthermore, as an extension to the original study, we found that average other-reported states (provided by peers, results based on one study) did in…
Social Network Characteristics of Early Midlife Voluntarily and Involuntarily Childless Couples
Whether couples have children or remain childless has largely been associated with individual and couple characteristics. We propose that the broader social network additionally differentiates between parents and childless couples, particularly between involuntarily and voluntarily childless couples. In light of this, we studied social network differences and their interplay with dyadic and individual characteristics in three types of couples wit…
Persons in contexts: The role of social networks and social density for the dynamic regulation of face-to-face interactions in daily life
Current psychological theories on daily social interactions emphasize individual differences yet are underspecified regarding contextual factors. We aim to extend this research by examining how two context factors shape social interactions in daily life: how many relationships people maintain and how densely people live together. In Study 1, 307 German participants ( M age = 39.44 years, SD age = 14.14) answered up to 20 experience sampling quest…
Tune yourself in: Valence and arousal preferences in music-listening choices from adolescence to old age
In previous studies, older as compared with younger individuals were more strongly motivated to regulate their momentary affect toward pleasant and calm states. Whether these motivational differences are also reflected in regulatory behavior and whether this behavior is efficient in terms of affect change, however, is unclear. To address these issues, we conducted 3 studies with samples ranging in age from adolescence to old adulthood. In Study 1…
Is seeking bad mood cognitively demanding? Contra-hedonic orientation and working-memory capacity in everyday life
Hedonism, or wanting to feel good, is central to human motivation. At times, however, people also seek to maintain or enhance negative affect or to dampen positive affect, and this can be instrumental for the later attainment of their goals. Here, we investigate the assumption that such contra-hedonic orientation is cognitively more demanding than prohedonic orientation, above and beyond the effects of momentary affective experience. We provided …
The interdependence of horizontal family relationships and friendships relates to higher well‐being
Assuming individual differences in the satisfaction of affiliative needs, the authors hypothesize that people maintain friendships differently depending on the number and the quality of their horizontal family relationships, and this relates to differences in subjective well‐being. These predictions were tested in 2 studies involving German adults aged 30 to 86 years. Contrary to previous studies, the authors studied the importance of friends in …
Measuring time use in surveys - Concordance of survey and experience sampling measures
Affective and cardiovascular responding to unpleasant events from adolescence to old age: Complexity of events matters
Two studies investigated the overpowering hypothesis as a possible explanation for the currently inconclusive empirical picture on age differences in affective responding to unpleasant events. The overpowering hypothesis predicts that age differences in affective responding are particularly evident in highly resource-demanding situations that overtax older adults' capacities. In Study 1, we used a mobile phone-based experience-sampling technology…
Social network changes and life events across the life span: A meta-analysis
For researchers and practitioners interested in social relationships, the question remains as to how large social networks typically are, and how their size and composition change across adulthood. On the basis of predictions of socioemotional selectivity theory and social convoy theory, we conducted a meta-analysis on age-related social network changes and the effects of life events on social networks using 277 studies with 177,635 participants …
Personality‐Relationship Transactions Revisited
The transactional paradigm states that people create, maintain, and change their environments according to their personalities. At the same time, the environment reacts back on personality. As social relationships are part of an individual's environment, this likewise implies that there are reciprocal transactions between personality and relationships. However, earlier studies have concluded that adult personality traits are so stable that they h…
Can’t get it out of my head: Age differences in affective responsiveness vary with preoccupation and elapsed time after daily hassles
To better understand age differences in negative affective responses to daily hassles, the current study investigated how responses may depend on how much time has elapsed after the hassle and how much one still thinks about the hassle. In an experience-sampling approach with mobile phones, 397 participants aged 12 to 88 years reported their momentary activating (e.g., angry) and deactivating (e.g., disappointed) negative affect and occurrences o…
Feeling good when sleeping in? Day-to-day associations between sleep duration and affective well-being differ from youth to old age
The current study investigated how night-to-night variations in sleep duration relate to affective well-being the next morning as well as how the relationship varies for people of different ages. Using an Experience Sampling approach, 397 participants aged 12 to 88 years reported their sleep duration and their momentary affect on 9 mornings, on average. Associations between sleep duration during the previous night and morning affect differed depe…
Happiness is pleasant, or is it? Implicit representations of affect valence are associated with contrahedonic motivation and mixed affect in daily life
People typically want to feel good. At times, however, they seek to maintain or enhance negative affect or to dampen positive affect. The prevalence of such contrahedonic motivation has been related to simultaneous experiences of positive and negative (i.e., mixed) affect. We investigated the role that implicit mental representations of affect valence may play in this regard in a study with N = 400 participants aged 11-88 years. Results demonstra…
When bad moods may not be so bad: Valuing negative affect is associated with weakened affect–health links
Bad moods are considered "bad" not only because they may be aversive experiences in and of themselves, but also because they are associated with poorer psychosocial functioning and health. We propose that people differ in their negative affect valuation (NAV; the extent to which negative affective states are valued as pleasant, useful/helpful, appropriate, and meaningful experiences) and that affect-health links are moderated by NAV. These predic…
Social Network Characteristics of Early Midlife Voluntarily and Involuntarily Childless Couples
Whether couples have children or remain childless has largely been associated with individual and couple characteristics. We propose that the broader social network additionally differentiates between parents and childless couples, particularly between involuntarily and voluntarily childless couples. In light of this, we studied social network differences and their interplay with dyadic and individual characteristics in three types of couples wit…
Hedonic orientation moderates the association between cognitive control and affect reactivity to daily hassles in adolescent boys
People often seek to regulate their affective reactions when confronted with hassles. Hassle reactivity is lower for people with higher cognitive control, presumably because of better affect regulation. Many adolescents, however, show higher hassle reactivity than children, despite better cognitive control. The present study aims to understand whether motivational differences when seeking to regulate affective experiences moderate the association…
Personality-situation transactions from adolescence to old age
People presumably choose and create their daily environments according to their personality. Prior research shows that, for example, more extraverted people engage more often in social situations, and more conscientious people engage more often in work-related activities compared with less extraverted or less conscientious people, respectively. The current study examined such personality-situation transactions in people's daily life. Based on the…
Integrating Personality Structure, Personality Process, and Personality Development
In this target article, we argue that personality processes, personality structure, and personality development have to be understood and investigated in integrated ways in order to provide comprehensive responses to the key questions of personality psychology. The psychological processes and mechanisms that explain concrete behaviour in concrete situations should provide explanation for patterns of variation across situations and individuals, fo…
Processes of Personality Development in Adulthood: The Tessera Framework
The current article presents a theoretical framework of the short- and long-term processes underlying personality development throughout adulthood. The newly developed TESSERA framework posits that long-term personality development occurs due to repeated short-term, situational processes. These short-term processes can be generalized as recursive sequence of Triggering situations, Expectancy, States/State expressions, and Reactions (TESSERA). Ref…
Predictors of volitional personality change in younger and older adults: Response surface analyses signify the complementary perspectives of the self and knowledgeable others
Tune yourself in: Valence and arousal preferences in music-listening choices from adolescence to old age
In previous studies, older as compared with younger individuals were more strongly motivated to regulate their momentary affect toward pleasant and calm states. Whether these motivational differences are also reflected in regulatory behavior and whether this behavior is efficient in terms of affect change, however, is unclear. To address these issues, we conducted 3 studies with samples ranging in age from adolescence to old adulthood. In Study 1…
The policy relevance of personality traits
Personality traits are powerful predictors of outcomes in the domains of education, work, relationships, health, and well-being. The recognized importance of personality traits has raised questions about their policy relevance, that is, their potential to inform policy actions designed to improve human welfare. Traditionally, the use of personality traits in applied settings has been predicated on their ability to predict valued outcomes, typical…
“The sound of affect”: Age differences in perceiving valence and arousal in music and their relation to music characteristics and momentary mood
Throughout life, music plays an important role in individuals’ everyday affective experiences. Previous findings suggest that preferences for, and perceptions of, music with distinct affective qualities might differ for individuals from different age groups. To date, however, evidence from age-comparative studies across adulthood is rare and little is known about the mechanisms that contribute to age differences in music perception. In an age-het…
Hard-working in general but lazy at home? Generalized Big Five traits and relationship-specific traits in romantic couples over time
Longitudinal coupling of momentary stress reactivity and trait neuroticism: Specificity of states, traits, and age period
Personality traits like neuroticism show both continuity and change across adolescence and adulthood, with most pronounced changes occurring in young adulthood. It has been assumed, but insufficiently examined, that trait changes occur gradually over the years through the accumulation of daily experiences. The current longitudinal measurement burst study examined (a) how changes in average momentary stress reactivity are coupled with changes in t…
Daily life processes predict long-term development in explicit and implicit representations of Big Five traits: Testing predictions from the Tessera (Triggering situations, Expectancies, States and St…
This study examined daily life processes and their contribution to long-term continuity and change in explicit and implicit representations of Big 5 traits. The TESSERA framework (Wrzus & Roberts, 2017) served as theoretical background to derive predictions on 3 linked research questions (RQ) regarding (a) trait-state associations (RQ1); (b) antecedents and consequences of personality states (RQ2); as well as (c) processes of personality developm…
Loneliness is associated with the subjective evaluation of but not daily dynamics in partner relationships
Loneliness describes a perceived deficiency in quantitative or qualitative aspects of individuals’ social relationships. Whereas the health-related consequences of loneliness are well-documented, surprisingly little is known about its interpersonal features and its consequences for relationship outcomes. In the present study, we investigated the association between loneliness and relationship experiences in partner relationships with a sample of …
Resuming social contact after months of contact restrictions: Social traits moderate associations between changes in social contact and well-being
The incremental validity of average states: A replication and extension of Finnigan and Vazire (2018)
806) that involved global self- and informant-reports and employed a variety of different experience-sampling methods (time-based with different sampling schedules, event-based). Across all studies, the original results (i.e., no incremental effects of average self-reported states) were replicated. Furthermore, as an extension to the original study, we found that average other-reported states (provided by peers, results based on one study) did in…
Psychology (39 works) · Social Psychology (35 works) · Developmental psychology (30 works) · Personality (21 works) · Big Five personality traits (18 works) · Mental Health Research Topics (17 works) · Personality Traits and Psychology (15 works) · Social Psychology (15 works) · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics (11 works) · Cognitive psychology (11 works)