Answer:
1. In the TED talk "The Psychology of Your Future Self," speaker Dan Gilbert discusses how people perceive their future selves. He argues that the human brain has a "psychological immune system" that helps people rationalize different outcomes and find happiness, even in situations they did not initially want. Gilbert details how people often become different people over time, and how they can use the knowledge of this change in their advantage to make decisions about their future. He explains that, contrary to popular belief, people are generally happy with their present selves and are not very good at predicting what will make them happy in the future. Gilbert argues that people should be less focused on attaining the ideal future life that they envision, and instead be more open to the varied path that life may take.
2. The most interesting part of the talk was when Gilbert discussed how people believe they change less over time than they actually do. It was surprising to hear that people can change considerably over a decade and become almost unrecognizable to their former selves. I was also fascinated by the idea of the "psychological immune system," which helps us find happiness even in unexpected and unpleasant circumstances. I am likely to remember the concept of "synthetic happiness" and how the choices we make can ultimately affect our happiness.
3. The presenter used various studies and experiments to support his findings about how people perceive their future selves. He presented one study that looked at how spouses viewed the trajectory of their married life, finding that people who believed they would have a happy future were much more likely to have a happy marriage. Gilbert also referenced his own research from previous studies, discussing how people can adapt to their new realities and find happiness even in difficult situations.
4. Dan Gilbert works in the field of social psychology, with a particular focus on happiness and decision-making. The work Gilbert does would best fit into the behavioral perspective of psychology. Gilbert focuses on how the environment and experiences can shape what makes people happy, which is a central tenet of the behavioral perspective of psychology.
5. If I could speak with Dan Gilbert, I would be interested to learn more about how people can prepare for the unforeseen changes that may happen in their lives. I would also like to know how the concepts he discussed apply to people who have different cultural backgrounds or personalities. Additionally, I would be interested in hearing more about how to advise people to make the choices that could make them happier in the long run.