The Decision Education Podcast Episode 035: Your Future Self Will Thank You with Bina Venkataraman
12 snips
Feb 5, 2025 Bina Venkataraman, a journalist and science policy expert at The Washington Post, joins the discussion on bridging today's choices with tomorrow's realities. They tackle the psychological barriers that hinder long-term decision-making and explore innovative tools like virtual reality to foster empathy with our future selves. Bina shares insights on managing climate change responsibilities and the importance of aligning immediate gratification with future aspirations. The conversation navigates the challenges of communicating complex science, emphasizing education's role in enhancing decision-making skills.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Long-Term Thinking vs. Short-Term Desires
- Humans possess a capacity for considering future generations and desiring a better future.
- This long-term perspective often gets overshadowed by short-term desires in decision-making.
Present vs. Future in Decision-Making
- Present circumstances are easier to grasp because we experience them directly through our senses.
- Imagining future consequences requires an imaginative leap, making it harder to prioritize.
VR and Retirement Savings
- Hal Hirschfeld's study showed that college students saved more for retirement after interacting with VR versions of their older selves.
- This suggests that visualizing our future selves can promote long-term financial planning.
