Want to Be Happier, Healthier, and Wealthier? Science Says Start Seeing ‘Future You’ the Right Way

Want to Be Happier, Healthier, and Wealthier? Science Says Start Seeing ‘Future You’ the Right Way

There’s lots of talk, within positive psychology and mental health discussions more generally about living in the moment.

And there’s no doubt that being present and being mindful brings many benefits.

But there’s also no doubt that reflecting on and learning from the past AND thinking about and generating hope for the future can also be very useful and healthy.

This Inc.com article by Jeff Haden focuses more on the later; so to learn a bit more about positive future thinking keep reading …

Imagine yourself 10 or 20 years in the future. Not physically–because 40-year-old me would not have been happy with 60-year-old me–but in terms of who you are inside.

How you answer that question tends to put you in one of two basic camps.

Some people see themselves as basically the same: Where you live might change, your profession might change, your circumstances might change, but deep inside you see yourself as roughly the same. As social psychologists put it, you assume a strong continuity between today you and 20-years-from-now you. 

Others see their future selves as very different from who they are today. They see little connection or continuity. They assume–or at least hope–that someday they will become very different.

My guess is you see where this is going: People who think their future self will be very different tend to be less “responsible” in terms of behavior.  

Research bears out that assumption. One study shows that people with greater “present-future continuity” tend to exercise more. Another shows that those people tend to be more financially prudent and more likely to save money. Another shows that those people tend to behave more ethically, both personally and professionally…

… keep reading the full & original article HERE