Optimists are most likely to hold positive beliefs about aging. Critically, optimists believe they can control their lives and make improvements. This means that believing in a healthy, engaged old age is a self-fulfilling prophecy — people with these views tend to experience better health and are more active and social. Ms Shelbie Turner, the study’s first author, said: “How we think about who we’re going to be in old age is very predictive of exactly how we will be.” Studies have found that...