Is your present self working for your future self?

Everyday we make decisions about choices we have that will have good or bad consequences for our present and future self. Often times we make decisions that benefit our “present self” with great expense to our “future self”, especially when these choices are repeated. Many of our decisions are emotionally based and taking care of our immediate emotional state of present self, this often time trumps future self potential needs.

Let’s look at a few simple examples in regards to health that many of us can relate to.

• I go to the fridge for a bed time snack. I can choose an apple or some chocolate cake with ice cream. Present self will be much more satisfied with the decedent taste of the cake and ice cream over the apple. Future self will appreciate the apple as it provides many valuable nutrients to assist in keeping your self healthy long term.
• I get home from work and make dinner, after dinner the decision of what to do comes up. I can go for a walk and get my daily cardiovascular exercise in or begin watching “The Office” on TV. Present self sees the importance and simplicity of sitting and watching the TV program (it is the last season of “The Office”, can you imagine missing an episode during its last season!). Future self would much more appreciate the walk and all the health benefits it provides.

Present self likes to consume things and looks for immediate pleasure and gratification at the least amount of effort. Future self on the other hand is more concerned with health and safety and willing to forgo some instant gratification to ensure that it can enjoy long term health even at the expense of some increased effort. Present self many times will neglect future self due to beliefs that may be inaccurate or rationalize that one time doing it doesn’t make a difference to future self. One piece of chocolate cake while watching the office just this once isn’t really going to make me obese and won’t make me get a serious disease latter in life. While present self is correct that doing something once most often will not have a significant affect on future self, but if present self repeats daily this choice then future self is in trouble. When present self repeats habits that are not good for future self, it walks us down a path of obesity and increasing risk for significant diseases. Pretty soon cake and ice cream is our bed time snack as we watch 4 hours of TV every night, and future self is doomed.

Next week we will look at commitment devices, tools to help future self overcome present self. Also at the potential pitfalls and concerns with commitment devices.