This chapter explores the challenge of understanding and anticipating our future selves, highlighting the paradox of perceiving changes in retrospect but struggling to envision changes in the future. It emphasizes the importance of actively reflecting on personal growth and making choices that align with our values. The chapter also discusses the implications of this concept in medical decision-making and how our perception of ourselves evolves as we age.
How well would you say you know yourself? Do you feel like the same person you were 10 years ago? Today’s guest, Shankar Vedantam, loves these kinds of questions and what they reveal about what we believe about ourselves and how we actually behave. Shankar is a science writer and the creator and host of the podcast “Hidden Brain”. In this episode, Shankar shares why he’s fascinated by the things we THINK we know, uncovers examples of what our brains hide from us, and shares how we can use that knowledge to live the lives we want to be living. For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts.