Does Self-Projection Have a Dominant Temporal Direction? In Nine Countries,People Feel More Similar to Their Future Than Past Selves

Abstract

Do you project your current self—the person you are today—equally across time? Compared to the present, 12 studies (total N = 11,416) reveal that people feel more similar to their future selves than their equidistant past selves. This future-oriented asymmetry in self-projection is directionally consistent across nine countries, with variation in effect size, and holds across different time horizons. Time-asymmetric self-projection covaries with higher levels of emotional connection between present and future selves and lower levels of perceived future self-change. We also provide preliminary causal-chain evidence for perceived self-change as a process by experimentally manipulating self-change beliefs. The future-oriented asymmetry appears to be self-focused, as it does not extend to others. Finally, future-oriented self-projection can lead to miscalibrated expectations: People expect their future selves to be more satisfied with hypothetical decisions made in the present than they currently would be with the same decisions in the past.

Keywords

self-perception projection bias past self future self temporal asymmetry

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