Does self-projection have a temporal direction? In nine countries, people feel more similar to their future than past selves

Do you project your current self—the person you are today—equally across time? Compared to the present, 11 studies (total N = 10,834) find that people feel more similar to their future selves than their equidistant past selves. This directional asymmetry in self-projection systematically favors the future, is robust across nine countries and different time horizons, and extends to goals and preferences. Higher levels of emotional connection between present and future selves and lower levels of perceived future self-change mediate this future-oriented self-projection, and we also provide causal evidence for perceived change as a mechanism by experimentally manipulating beliefs about future self-change. Finally, we reveal that future-oriented self-projection can lead to miscalibrated expectations: People expect their future selves to be more satisfied with decisions made in the present than they currently would be with similar decisions made in the past. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.