A century ago, infectious disease was the biggest killer. Today, the cause of most chronic illnesses is lifestyle choices (lack of exercise, smoking, poor diet, too much alcohol).
We know what’s killing us, but there’s nothing more difficult than changing your behaviour.
Befriending our future self
The research in Decision Making Over the Life Span, edited by Gregory Samanez-Larkin, shows that if you are disconnected from an idea of yourself in the future, you will struggle to make healthier choices.
This parallels our willingness to help someone: the more familiar the victim, the greater our willingness to assist, and vice versa. To make sacrifices for an alien future self makes as much sense as helping a total stranger.
However, considering that we are now spending an average of two decades in retirement, best we start befriending our future self.
Make present changes
To remain functional and healthy, take these key steps:
- Envision your life in the future
- Ask yourself what you want to be able to do
- Ask yourself who you want to be there for
- Write a letter from your future self to your present self, describing a good future day
- Identify your target behaviours for change, and commit to changing them
- Get involved in helping an elderly person.
