Effects of Personal Control and Optimism on Older Adults' Wellbeing

The study examines personal control as an antecedent of optimism, which is theorized to explain older adults' consumption-related activities and life satisfaction. Implications of these findings for marketers of products and services targeted toward older consumers are also discussed. An online survey of 267 adults, 50 years of age and older, is used to test the model of antecedents and consequence of optimism, using structural equation modeling. Results suggest that personal control is an important antecedent of optimism, which may influence several consumption-related behaviors and the well-being of older consumers.