Predictions

CATEGORY: PERSONAL

Why:

We can become better prediction-makers through practice, gaining a greater sense of control and revealing our mental patterns.

Warm-Up:

Think ahead 5 years. What is one prediction you have for how your life will be then? What is one prediction for the world then?

Exploration:

Our minds are constantly making predictions to help meet our needs, for everything from when our next meal will be to which future goal is worth working for. Making good predictions is a useful skill. It helps us feel like the world makes sense and that we can prepare for ups and downs. What are some predictions you have for your life next year, or in 5 or 10 years? For fun, try using the website www.futureme.org to actually email these predictions to your future self, and see what you got right and wrong!

Additional Resources

For a fun extension, you can explore famous predictions that have been made (rightly or wrongly) by others, or find a video like this one, in which designers of the 1930s predicted fashion trends for the year 2000:

(Please review the video in advance to make sure it's appropriate for your audience)

In the year 2000: Fashion Predictions from 1939

What did they get wrong and right?