TED Business
You don't actually know what your future self wants | Shankar Vendantam
Jan 1, 2024
Shankar Vendantam, a journalist, discusses the impact of the "illusion of continuity" on our future selves. He challenges the belief that our future selves will have the same views and hopes as our present selves. Modupe offers an empowering perspective on future self's feelings.
20:14
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Quick takeaways
- The belief in the illusion of continuity can lead to problems when our future selves have different perspectives and preferences, highlighting the need to actively craft our future selves.
- Affective forecasting, or predicting our future emotions, is often inaccurate, leading to potential misjudgments in work decisions. Embracing uncertainty and staying open to new opportunities can help navigate these challenges.
Deep dives
The Illusion of Continuity
Our current selves often assume that our future selves will have the same views, perspectives, and hopes, but this creates an illusion of continuity. This illusion becomes problematic when we make promises, pass laws, or lock people up, as our future selves may have different perspectives and preferences. The speaker highlights the need to actively craft our future selves by staying curious, expanding our horizons, and being the architects of who we want to become.
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