Fresh Start Monday #038: What is future self-continuity?
“If the self or person of today, and that of tomorrow, are not the same, but only like persons, the person of today is really no more interested in what will befall the person of tomorrow, than in what will befall any other person.” - Joseph Butler (philosopher) 1736.
Future self-continuity is the connection and perceived association between who you are today and who you will be in the future.
Research published in Social Psychological and Personality Science found people who are connected to their future selves are better able to save for the future, delay gratification, and make better decisions that help them live healthier, happier lives than those who felt less connected to their future selves.
Let’s use the example of financial planning. For those who are less connected with their future selves, saving money is a choice between either spending money or giving it to a stranger years from now. We don’t think about the stranger when making decisions.
I like to think about your future self as a relationship that needs to be nurtured and cultivated. The more we emphasize and improve our ability to relate to our future selves the more we take into account the long-term implications of our decisions.
By viewing your life through the lens of the person you will one day become you lay the groundwork for what’s ahead.
Research into future self-continuity has uncovered a few strategies to help bridge the psychological gap between the current and future self.
To measure your future self-continuity:
1. How similar and connected do you feel to your future self, ten years from now?
2. How much do you care and like your future self, ten years from now?
In one experiment, the participants were presented with various scenarios in which they could either receive a smaller reward soon or a larger reward later. As expected, participants who felt a greater connection to the future were more willing to delay their gratification and wait for the bigger sum.
The study then looked at the participants’ real-life savings. The more the participant felt connected to their future self, the more money they had already saved.
To strengthen your relationship with your future self:
Step 1: Use a face-aging technology app to give you a vivid sense of what you may look like.
Step 2: Write a letter to your future self 10 years from now describing what is most important to you right now and sharing your plan for the next decade.
A great website to receive the letter you’ve written: futureme
If you’re local to Boulder, Colorado join me this Wednesday on Meetup to explore how to connect to and heed advice from our future selves through a series of journal prompts.
Wednesday, May 24th at 6pm MT at Silver Vines Winery