To spring forward or leap back?

Now that spring has officially sprung, it is a good time to think about what the future has in store – or is it better to reflect on the past?

“Temporal focus” – the attention we devote to thinking about the past, the present and the future – has become an important subject for researchers and clinical psychologists alike.

Peter Felsman at the University of Michigan looked at the relationship between temporal focus and general outlook, and found individuals who focused mainly on the present had higher levels of satisfaction. In clinical settings, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy – learning to focus fully and non-judgmentally on the present – has been shown to reduce relapse rates of those who have suffered bouts of depression.

Staying in the moment helps create a sense of calm, encourages us to feel good about life and reduces anxiety and negative thinking.

However, remaining entirely based in the present isn’t a realistic way to live in today’s goal-orientated world. We also need to make sense of and learn from the past so we can plan and set goals for the future. This raises two questions: when we leave the present in our thoughts, can we still be happy? And what are the emotional consequences of reflecting on the past and contemplating the future?

Jennifer Aaker at Stanford Business School looked at how individuals of all ages define happiness. Young people, she found, equate happiness with the future, with focusing on what is to come; whereas older individuals are happier when they remain rooted in the present, appreciating what they already have.

Cindy Ward at Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada, compared individuals’ beliefs about the possibility of change and their level of life satisfaction. She found only those who believe an individual can change fundamentally if they put in enough time and effort are happier when focusing on the future. Those who believe fundamental change is unlikely – that essentially, we stay the same – are happier when they remain more firmly in the present.

Taken together, these studies suggest the happiest individuals are those whose youthful dreams and goals gradually become a contented, realistic acceptance of their current situation. However, Philip Zimbardo, professor emeritus at Stanford University, believes a mix of all three perspectives allows for the greatest levels of happiness, but only if emotional loading is also considered. He encourages us to reflect more on positive than negative experiences, and to continue setting new challenges while at the same time appreciating what we already have.

Finally, Michael Scullin and colleagues at Baylor University asked 57 young adults either to write down what they had to do in the next few days or what they’d accomplished in the last few days. Those who looked ahead fell asleep faster. It seems the relationship between temporal focus and happiness is complex – although if you want to fall asleep quickly, a future focus is best.