The Mechanism of Connecting With Our Future Selves

People who can connect with their future selves are more likely to have accrued assets, report greater health and life satisfaction. What's the mechanism by which we are able to turn ourselves into friends, our future selves into friends? Well, to some extent, I think this is still an open question. But if we can empathize with others, if we can feel their feelings, those are the things that turn a stranger into a friend.