Personal expectations of aging shape our social lives

What we expect from our own aging is not merely a notion. In two recent studies, an international research team led by psychologist Christina Ristl from the University of Vienna has shown that our expectations regarding our own aging can help shape our social lives over many years and even influence how we experience everyday encounters. The findings point to a psychological mechanism known as a "self-fulfilling prophecy." The results have recently been published in the journals Psychology and Aging and Journal of Gerontology: Series B Psychology and Social Sciences.