Exploring the distribution and correlates of future self-continuity in a large, nationally representative sample

Many people struggle to make tradeoffs between present wants and future wishes, resulting in the tendency to overly discount the value of future rewards. To explain such behavior, past work has pointed to future self-continuity or the perceived connection between a person’s current and future selves...

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Main Authors: Hal E. Hershfield, Craig I. Brimhall, Susan Kerbel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2025-01-01
Series:Judgment and Decision Making
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Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1930297524000238/type/journal_article
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author Hal E. Hershfield
Craig I. Brimhall
Susan Kerbel
author_facet Hal E. Hershfield
Craig I. Brimhall
Susan Kerbel
author_sort Hal E. Hershfield
collection DOAJ
description Many people struggle to make tradeoffs between present wants and future wishes, resulting in the tendency to overly discount the value of future rewards. To explain such behavior, past work has pointed to future self-continuity or the perceived connection between a person’s current and future selves. Yet, most of this past work has been conducted on small-to-medium size convenience samples, and as such, little is known regarding the population-level statistics of future self-continuity or how its link to important financial health variables like saving behavior and financial well-being play out in a nationally representative sample. Here, we use a nationally representative sample of over 6,000 Americans to investigate the generalizability of future self-continuity and its connection to financial outcomes such as savings behavior and global financial well-being. We also examine the strength of these associations in the face of a host of other relevant constructs. Overall, this research replicates and extends existing work on the relationship between future self-continuity and financial decision-making among a representative population, and sheds further insight on its potential implications for interventions aimed at enhancing long-term financial well-being.
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spelling doaj-art-9cd26bd15a05449685427914f0b1a71d2025-01-20T12:58:38ZengCambridge University PressJudgment and Decision Making1930-29752025-01-012010.1017/jdm.2024.23Exploring the distribution and correlates of future self-continuity in a large, nationally representative sampleHal E. Hershfield0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1507-7022Craig I. Brimhall1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6423-3792Susan Kerbel2Anderson School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USAAnderson School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USAConsumer Financial Protection Bureau, Washington, DC, USAMany people struggle to make tradeoffs between present wants and future wishes, resulting in the tendency to overly discount the value of future rewards. To explain such behavior, past work has pointed to future self-continuity or the perceived connection between a person’s current and future selves. Yet, most of this past work has been conducted on small-to-medium size convenience samples, and as such, little is known regarding the population-level statistics of future self-continuity or how its link to important financial health variables like saving behavior and financial well-being play out in a nationally representative sample. Here, we use a nationally representative sample of over 6,000 Americans to investigate the generalizability of future self-continuity and its connection to financial outcomes such as savings behavior and global financial well-being. We also examine the strength of these associations in the face of a host of other relevant constructs. Overall, this research replicates and extends existing work on the relationship between future self-continuity and financial decision-making among a representative population, and sheds further insight on its potential implications for interventions aimed at enhancing long-term financial well-being.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1930297524000238/type/journal_articlefuture self-continuityfinancial decision-makingfinancial well-beingintertemporal choice
spellingShingle Hal E. Hershfield
Craig I. Brimhall
Susan Kerbel
Exploring the distribution and correlates of future self-continuity in a large, nationally representative sample
Judgment and Decision Making
future self-continuity
financial decision-making
financial well-being
intertemporal choice
title Exploring the distribution and correlates of future self-continuity in a large, nationally representative sample
title_full Exploring the distribution and correlates of future self-continuity in a large, nationally representative sample
title_fullStr Exploring the distribution and correlates of future self-continuity in a large, nationally representative sample
title_full_unstemmed Exploring the distribution and correlates of future self-continuity in a large, nationally representative sample
title_short Exploring the distribution and correlates of future self-continuity in a large, nationally representative sample
title_sort exploring the distribution and correlates of future self continuity in a large nationally representative sample
topic future self-continuity
financial decision-making
financial well-being
intertemporal choice
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1930297524000238/type/journal_article
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AT craigibrimhall exploringthedistributionandcorrelatesoffutureselfcontinuityinalargenationallyrepresentativesample
AT susankerbel exploringthedistributionandcorrelatesoffutureselfcontinuityinalargenationallyrepresentativesample