Gabriele Oettingen's research delves into how individuals envision and think about the future, and the profound impact this has on their cognition, emotions, and actions. Her work investigates the psychological mechanisms that drive our future aspirations and motivations, revealing how we can more effectively pursue our goals. She explores how people construct their future selves and the consequent influence on their decision-making processes. Her research offers valuable insights into the psychology of motivation and goal attainment.
Author's note -- Preface -- Dreaming, not doing -- The upside of dreaming -- Fooling our minds -- The wise pursuit of our dreams -- Engaging our nonconscious minds -- The magic of WOOP -- WOOP your life -- Your friend for life -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Index
While optimism can help us alleviate immediate suffering and persevere in challenging times, merely dreaming about the future actually makes people more frustrated over the long term and less likely to achieve their goals. Oettingen introduces a new way to visualize the future, combining our dreams with visualizing the obstacles that stand in our way, allowing us to make concrete plans, and gain energy to take action