You can't predict how your future self will actually feel

People systematically project their current state onto the future, assuming today's hunger, mood or craving will persist. Shoppers who browse hungry overbuy snacks for the whole week; calm people underprepare for how they'll act once angry. Economists found the bias skews decisions from grocery runs to drug relapse predictions.

— George Loewenstein, Ted O'Donoghue, and Matthew Rabin, Projection Bias in Predicting Future Utility — Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2003

One credited idea per card. No filler. Swipe the rest in Savvy.

Keep swiping — it's free Works right in your browser. No app store needed.

More Psychology

All Psychology cards →

Five ideas worth knowing, every week

The week's best cards and a puzzle, credited as always. Free, unsubscribe any time.