Affective Forecasting

Affective forecasting refers to people’s predictions of their future emotions and desires, with research indicating that numerous errors occur when children and adults try to anticipate how they will later feel. This entry provides an overview of these inaccuracies and outlines some explanations for their appearance. The entry highlights work in young adulthood because this is where researchers have focused their efforts. However, difficulties are present from early childhood to late adulthood, so the entry also draws from developmental literature.