What's happening?

Your homework has been sitting on your desk for days. The big deadline is tomorrow.

Suddenly, your phone screen lights up. Your best friend has invited you over for a film night. Can't you just say that you were too ill to do the homework?

For the current you, a film night is much more fun than homework. But the future you may disagree. Which one should you choose?

You will probably choose the option that is most fun now. This is a mistake that people often make, says expert Hal Hershfield. Hershfield says we often fail our future selves because we do not really see them as the same person as us. When we imagine our future, it is like imagining a different person.

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One study headed by Hershfield shows this. It showed that when people were shown aged-up pictures of themselves, they were more likely to save for their retirementWhen you leave your job and stop working, normally due to age. .

Perhaps if it were possible for us to meet a future version of ourselves, we would live happier lives. We would make better choices, live more carefully and take better care of our health.

It all sounds a bit sci-fiScience fiction. . But we may be closer to this reality than you think, as AIA computer programme that has been designed to think.  gets better every day.

Yes! If we lived our lives without making any mistakes, we would all be a bit more boring. We learn a lot by making mistakes and making guesses about our future.

No! If we could talk to our future selves, we would be more likely to make better choices. Of course it is a good idea.