Older adults’ recalled memorable messages about aging and their role in the communicative ecology model of successful aging

ABSTRACT This study examined how older adults’ dispositional hope was associated with the themes of up to three recalled memorable messages about aging, as well as how older adults’ own age-related communication and memorable message themes were indirectly associated with successful aging, via aging efficacy. Dispositional hope was positively associated with the recollection of memorable messages with a theme of aging is not important or aging is a subjective state that can be overcome with the right mind-set. Relative to engaged agers, bantering agers and gloomy agers reported less successful aging, via less aging efficacy. The memorable message themes were not indirectly associated with successful aging, via aging efficacy. The results suggest that people may have some agency in how well they age, and the results also inform conceptual and methodological issues in memorable messages scholarship.