Laura Carstensen

that it's adaptive to explore, to learn, and it entails taking risks, including emotional risks.

But it's good to do that when you're preparing for a long future.

And when you don't have to prepare for a long future, then you can focus on what really matters.

So in some ways, aging relieves us of the burden of the future.

We can be in the moment, and it's adaptive to do that.

Now, that said...

It will be great if we can find ways to have younger people step out of that future-oriented mode occasionally and really experience the present, see what's positive in the world.

This would be really good for them, I believe.

And just the same, there are context occasions where it's really good for older people to think about the future, the long-term future, and not just the present.

Think of a climate change, for example.

Probably not going to affect somebody too much who's very old today, but good to pay attention to it.

And so, yes, we should be able to time travel so we can step into the future or step into the present.

I try to take the findings to heart.

And there are a couple things I do.

One is something will happen to me during the day as these things happen to all of us, right?

That's just really irritating.

Or something where I just keep going over it and over it in my head again.

Like, I wish I said this to so-and-so, you know, and what.

And it really helps to put it in perspective.

Like, if this were the last month of your life, would you care?