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TED Talks Daily

You don't actually know what your future self wants | TED Business

Oct 4, 2023
Shankar Vendantam, a journalist and host of Hidden Brain, dives into the concept of the 'illusion of continuity.' He shares captivating stories that reveal how we often wrongly assume our future selves will mirror our current perspectives. Vendantam challenges listeners to embrace the fluid nature of identity, especially after life changes like the pandemic. He emphasizes the power of curiosity and courage in shaping who we will become, and explores the pitfalls of affective forecasting in predicting our emotional futures.
20:51

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Quick takeaways

  • Our future selves may not share the same views, perspectives, and hopes as our current selves, highlighting the importance of actively curating and shaping the person we want to become.
  • The belief in the illusion of continuity can have profound consequences in various areas of our lives, such as making promises, shaping legal systems, and crafting laws that align with the perspectives and values of our future selves.

Deep dives

Crafting our future selves

Shankar Vedantam, host of the podcast Hidden Brain, explores why we tend to assume that our future selves will have the same views, perspectives, and hopes as our current selves. He emphasizes the importance of actively curating and shaping the person we want to become by staying curious, expanding our horizons, and being the architect of our future self.

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