The Effects of Future Self-Continuity Interventions on Behavioral Outcomes in Adults: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Future self-continuity, or the degree to which individuals feel connected to mental representations of their future selves, has been negatively associated with temporal discounting, or the tendency to choose smaller, immediate rewards over larger, delayed rewards. Although somewhat stable and trait-like, future self-continuity is also malleable, making it an important target for intervention. Over the past decade, clinical, social, and health psychologists have developed interventions designed to increase future self-continuity by making the future self more vivid and accessible. While promising, the results of these interventions have been mixed. Thus, the goal of the current study was to provide a systematic review of the literature on future self-continuity interventions with a focus on behavioral outcomes. The review protocol was pre-registered on PROSPERO (CRD42024610111). A literature search was conducted between November 2024 and February 2025. Of the 1,256 articles initially identified, 14 articles (containing 23 studies) met the inclusion criteria. Studies included a range of methodologies and outcomes, and most focused on young adults recruited from undergraduate samples or online platforms. Despite some gaps in the literature, the reviewed interventions produced small to large effects on behavioral outcomes, suggesting that future self-continuity interventions are a promising method for enacting behavior change.