Name: The psychology of your future self
Uploaded: 2014-06-03T14:56:03Z
Duration: 6 min 35 s
Description: "Human beings are works in progress that mistakenly think they're finished." Dan Gilbert shares recent research on a phenomenon he calls the "end of history illusion," where we somehow imagine that the person we are right now is the person we'll be for the rest of time. Hint: that's not the case.

"Human beings are works in progress that mistakenly think they're finished." Dan Gilbert shares recent research on a phenomenon he calls the "end of history illusion," where we somehow imagine that the person we are right now is the person we'll be for the rest of time. Hint: that's not the case.

Dan Gilbert: The psychology of your future self

The psychology of your future self

Our misconceived constancy: we underestimate how much we'll change in the next decade, a phenomenon termed the "end of history" illusion.

Despite clear evidence of significant personal evolution over time, individuals predict minimal change in their future selves.

The illusion of permanence skews our decisions, leading to overinvestment in current preferences and underestimating future shifts.