Tom Rivett-Carnac
OBE & Architect of the Paris Agreement | Co-Founder, Global Optimism & The Climate Pledge | Bestselling Author | TED Speaker
Hal Hershfield
Psychologist & Professor at UCLA Anderson School of Management | Author of Your Future Self | Expert on the Future Self & Decision-Making | Stanford PhD
Hal Hershfield is a UCLA psychologist and one of the world's leading experts on how our relationship with our 'future self' shapes the decisions we make today. A professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Management and author of Your Future Self, he draws on over a decade of research to explain why we so often shortchange our future, and how to fix it. On stage, he gives audiences science-backed tools to make better decisions about money, health, and life.
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Hal Hershfield biography
Psychology speaker Hal Hershfield is a behavioral scientist who has spent his career studying one of the most quietly powerful forces in our lives: how we relate to our future selves. His central and surprising finding is that most of us treat our future self almost like a stranger, which is why we so often choose the steak over the salad, the splurge over the savings, and today’s comfort over tomorrow’s wellbeing. Understanding, and repairing, that disconnect, he shows, is the key to better decisions.
A professor of marketing, behavioral decision making, and psychology, Hershfield earned his PhD in psychology from Stanford and has spent more than a decade researching “future self continuity.” His work, including a landmark study showing that seeing digitally age-progressed photos of themselves led people to save significantly more for retirement, has been covered widely and put to use by major financial institutions, from Prudential and Fidelity to Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch, as well as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Meet Your Future Self
Hershfield is the author of Your Future Self: How to Make Tomorrow Better Today, an acclaimed synthesis of his research praised by thinkers like Adam Grant and Carol Dweck. A professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, where he holds an endowed chair and has won numerous teaching awards, he was named one of the world’s 40 most outstanding business school professors under 40 by Poets & Quants. He contributes regularly to the New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and the Wall Street Journal.
As a speaker, Hal Hershfield is warm, funny, and genuinely illuminating, turning cutting-edge behavioral science into practical wisdom anyone can use. He speaks on making better long-term decisions, planning for the future without sacrificing the present, the psychology of saving and financial wellbeing, and how individuals and organizations can align today’s choices with tomorrow’s goals. Audiences leave with a profound shift in how they see time and themselves, and concrete tools to build the future they actually want.
Hal Hershfield Speaking Videos
“How can we help our future selves?” | Hal Hershfield | TEDxEast
Making better decisions for your future self, Hal Hershfield | End Well
Hal Hershfield Keynote Topics
Drawing on his acclaimed book and over a decade of research, Hal Hershfield reveals why we so often make choices our future selves come to regret, and what to do about it. He shows that when we feel genuinely connected to the person we'll become, we make wiser decisions about money, health, work, and relationships. A fascinating, practical keynote that hands audiences science-backed tools to close the gap between who they are now and who they want to become.
Why is it so hard to do what's good for us in the long run? Hershfield takes audiences inside the science of decision-making to explain the mental traps, from treating our future self as a stranger to the pull of instant gratification, that lead us astray. With surprising research and memorable stories, he offers a clear framework for making smarter choices, individually and organizationally, that pay off long after the moment has passed.
Americans are living longer and saving less, and Hershfield's research has reshaped how leading financial institutions tackle that challenge. In this keynote, he reveals the psychological reasons we struggle to save and plan, and the proven interventions, from his famous age-progressed avatar studies to simple reframes, that help people invest in their futures. Essential insights for financial services, benefits, and any organization helping people plan for what's ahead.
The goal isn't to sacrifice the present for the future, or the future for the present, it's to find harmony between the two. Hershfield explores how to be kind to our future selves without losing the joy of the moment, drawing on research about time, meaning, and wellbeing. A thoughtful, uplifting talk that helps audiences make the most of their days while building lives, and careers, they'll be grateful for down the road.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Hal Hershfield
Why Hal Hershfield?
Booking Hal Hershfield brings audiences a rare combination of Stanford-trained scientific authority and genuinely practical, life-changing insight. As one of the world's leading experts on the psychology of the future self, he explains, with warmth and humor, why we so often work against our own long-term interests, and exactly how to change that. His research is trusted by major financial institutions and governments, yet his message resonates with everyone, because we all have a future self to look out for. He is ideal for events on decision-making, financial wellbeing, wellbeing and planning, leadership, and behavioral science. To bring Hal Hershfield to your next event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
Who is Hal Hershfield?
Hal Hershfield is an American psychologist and behavioral scientist, and a professor of marketing, behavioral decision making, and psychology at UCLA's Anderson School of Management, where he holds an endowed chair. He earned his PhD in psychology from Stanford University and is one of the world's foremost experts on the "future self", how our sense of connection to the person we'll become shapes the decisions we make today. He is the author of Your Future Self: How to Make Tomorrow Better Today, was named one of the world's 40 best business school professors under 40 by Poets & Quants, and advises major financial institutions and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. His work appears regularly in the New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and the Wall Street Journal.
What is Hal Hershfield's book Your Future Self about?
Your Future Self: How to Make Tomorrow Better Today (2023) is Hal Hershfield's acclaimed book, based on more than a decade of research, about the surprising ways our relationship with our future selves shapes the choices we make. Its central insight is that, in our minds, our future self often feels like a stranger, which is why we so frequently choose immediate gratification over decisions that would benefit us later, whether that's saving for retirement, exercising, or eating well. Blending psychology, engaging stories, and practical strategies, the book shows readers how to strengthen the connection to their future selves and, in doing so, make wiser choices while still living richly in the present.
What topics does psychology speaker Hal Hershfield cover?
Hal Hershfield speaks on making better long-term decisions, the psychology of the future self, saving and financial wellbeing, and how to plan for tomorrow without sacrificing today. His keynotes suit events on decision-making, behavioral science, financial services, wellbeing, and leadership. To book Hal Hershfield as a speaker, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Hal Hershfield as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Hal Hershfield as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Hal Hershfield's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Hal Hershfield or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Hal Hershfield speaking fee?
Hal Hershfield speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Hal Hershfield to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Hal Hershfield.
How can I contact Hal Hershfield?
We only work with Hal Hershfield on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Hal Hershfield and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Hal Hershfield speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Hal Hershfield for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Hal Hershfield for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Hal Hershfield is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Hal Hershfield for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
