Abstract

Despite our best intentions, we often make choices today that undermine our long-term goals. A growing body of research suggests that one key reason is a failure to emotionally connect with our future selves. In this talk, I’ll explore the psychological underpinnings of this disconnect, drawing from theory and empirical findings that reveal why the future self can feel like a stranger. I’ll then present three lines of work aimed at “closing the gap” between present and future selves—including recent field experiments and emerging applications of AI—demonstrating how interventions can promote better long-term decision-making by strengthening our sense of continuity over time.

Speaker Bio

Hal Hershfield is a Professor of Marketing, Behavioral Decision Making, and Psychology at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. His pioneering research explores how thinking about our future selves can influence the decisions we make today—from saving money to making healthier choices to living with greater meaning. Hal’s work on future self-continuity has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and NPR, and his insights have shaped how financial institutions, governments, and individuals think about long-term planning. He is the author of Your Future Self: How to Make Tomorrow Better Today, a powerful exploration of the psychological connection between who we are now and who we will become. Hal is committed to the work of helping people make better long-term decisions.