TED Radio Hour

Future You

25 snips
Oct 10, 2025
Join Hal Hirschfeld, a psychologist who studies our connection with future selves, Bina Venkataraman, a columnist on long-term thinking, and Shankar Vedantam, a journalist exploring behavioral insights. They delve into why we often prioritize present needs over future ones and the brain's perception of our future selves as strangers. Hirschfeld shares eye-opening experiments on decision-making, while Vedantam discusses how to embrace change. Venkataraman highlights the importance of collective memory in planning for future risks, advocating for stewardship for the next generations.
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INSIGHT

Future Self Appears As Another Person

  • The brain activates different regions for present-self and future-self, treating future-you like another person.
  • That neural separation helps explain why people favor present rewards over long-term benefits.
ADVICE

Make Future You Visually Real

  • Make your future self vivid to increase saving and planning behavior.
  • Hal Hirschfeld found age-progression images raised retirement contributions by about 16%.
ADVICE

Aim For Harmony Between Nows

  • Seek harmony between present and future needs by finding actions that serve both.
  • Hal Hirschfeld suggests prioritizing choices that benefit you now and later to reduce conflict between selves.
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