The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do To Get More of It

WHY THE FUTURE FEELS DIFFERENT
Why do we treat our future selves like different people? Part of the problem lies in our inability to
access our future selves’ thoughts and feelings. When we think of our future selves, our future needs
and emotions don’t feel as real and pressing as our present desires. The thoughts and feelings that
shape our present selves’ decisions aren’t triggered until we feel the immediacy of an opportunity.
Students making the choice about how much ketchup and soy sauce to drink didn’t feel their stomachs
lurch when the decision was for next semester. When donating the time of their future selves, the
students weren’t bombarded with thoughts of this weekend’s big game or stress about next week’s
midterm. Without the internal cues of disgust and anxiety, we guess wrong about what we will be
willing to do in the future.
Brain-imaging studies show that we even use different regions of the brain to think about our
present selves and our future selves. When people imagine enjoying a future experience, the brain
areas associated with thinking about oneself are surprisingly unengaged. It’s as if we are picturing
someone else enjoying the sunset or savoring the meal. The same is true when people are asked to
consider whether certain traits describe their present selves or their future selves. When reflecting on
the future self, the brain’s activation is identical to when it is considering the traits of another person.
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It’s as if we are observing a person from the outside to decide what is true about them, rather than
looking within to decide what is true of ourselves. The brain’s habit of treating the future self like
another person has major consequences for self-control. Studies show that the less active your brain’s
self-reflection system is when you contemplate your future self, the more likely you are to say “screw
you” to future you, and “yes” to immediate gratification.

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