Welcome to the Sunday Book Review, the Authors Podcast! On this episode, Tom is joined by colleague Earnie Broughton for Part 2 of their interview with Hal Hershfield, author of Your Future Self, on Sunday Book Review-Author’s Edition. Join Tom and Earnie as they discuss cutting-edge ethical decision-making and behavior management solutions with Hershfield. The hosts delve into using aging apps and age progression algorithms to bring a vivid picture of one’s future self, ultimately leading to positive actions. But that’s not all. They introduce deep visualization exercises and the ancient tradition of idealism, which can help individuals make better choices and reduce anxiety. Hershfield shares his project about a chatbot that allows people to talk to their future selves, paving the way for groundbreaking research in long-term decision-making. Discover ethical commitment devices and other strategies in this captivating episode.
Tune in to the SBR-Authors Podcast and gain insight into how behavioral science can transform your life.
Key Highlights Include:
- The Power of Age Progression Algorithms
- Connecting with Future Self
- Using Commitment Devices to Achieve Goals
- Finding Balance with Commitment Devices
- Multiple Selves and Technological Aids
- Technology for Long-Term Decision Making
Notable Quotes:
“If we can work with someone on really deeply visualizing their future selves and seeing that person and feeling their feelings, that’s the type of thing that I think can hopefully change behavior.”
“Commitment device is one of my favorite behavioral science topics to explore. The basic idea here is that this version of me wants to eat healthy right now. What a commitment device does is it commits me to act a certain way. It puts constraints on my future behavior.
“The basic idea is I read a letter to my future self, and then I tried to write one back from that person. Fascinating exercise because it forces you to step into the shoes of your future self and see the world through their eyes.”
“When people were asked to do this send and reply exercise, it did cause them to take a step back, and it almost calms the feelings of the situation at hand. And that helped them see the big picture and ultimately feel better now.”
Resources
Hal Hershfield at UCLA
Tom Fox
