Emma Emmerechts

Emma joined the Meaning Research Late Life team of Prof. Jessie Dezutter as a PhD student in October 2025. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Psychology from Thomas More (Antwerp), including an Erasmus exchange at Universidad Católica de Valencia, and a Master’s degree in Theoretical and Experimental Psychology from Ghent University.

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During her bachelor’s, she completed a research internship at Prof. Jessie Dezutter’s lab, where she worked on existential loneliness in older adults. This experience prompted her interest in existential experiences in later life and laid the foundation for her current PhD research.​

 

Her PhD project investigates tiredness of life in relatively healthy, community-dwelling older adults - an existential experience in which life is perceived as meaningless, burdensome, or complete. The research focuses on the role of life-course trauma and attachment in the development of tiredness of life, and examines whether the experience of meaning in life may act as a protective or explanatory mechanism. The aim is to contribute to more person-centered support for older adults struggling with a loss of meaning in life.