Future self

In the psychology of self, the future self concerns the processes and consequences associated with thinking about oneself in the future. People think about their future selves similarly to how they think about other people.[1][2][3][4] The extent to which people feel psychologically connected (e.g., similarity, closeness) to their future self influences how well they treat their future self.[5] When people feel connected to their future self, they are more likely to save for retirement, make healthy decisions, and avoid ethical transgressions.[6] Interventions that increase feelings of connectedness with future selves can improve future-oriented decision making across these domains.[7]

  1. ^ Pronin, Emily; Ross, Lee (2006). "Temporal differences in trait self-ascription: When the self is seen as an other". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 90 (2): 197–209. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.90.2.197. ISSN 1939-1315. PMID 16536646.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pronin 2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Burum, Bethany A.; Gilbert, Daniel T.; Wilson, Timothy D. (2016). "Becoming stranger: When future selves join the out-group". Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. 145 (9): 1132–1140. doi:10.1037/xge0000193. ISSN 1939-2222. PMID 27559617.
  4. ^ Hershfield, Hal E (2019). "The self over time". Current Opinion in Psychology. 26: 72–75. doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.06.004. ISSN 2352-250X. PMID 29958146. S2CID 49612413.
  5. ^ Urminsky, Oleg (2017). "The Role of Psychological Connectedness to the Future Self in Decisions Over Time". Current Directions in Psychological Science. 26 (1): 34–39. doi:10.1177/0963721416668810. ISSN 0963-7214. S2CID 151894499.
  6. ^ Oettingen, Gabriele; Sevincer, A. Timur; Gollwitzer, Peter M. (2018-03-08). The Psychology of Thinking about the Future. Guilford Publications. ISBN 9781462534418.
  7. ^ Hershfield, Hal E.; John, Elicia M.; Reiff, Joseph S. (2018-09-06). "Using Vividness Interventions to Improve Financial Decision Making". Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 5 (2): 209–215. doi:10.1177/2372732218787536. ISSN 2372-7322. S2CID 53618676.