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Stimulating Future-Oriented Thinking and Goal-Achievement Through the Future Self Using Virtual Reality and a
Jean-Louis van Gelder1,2, Tiffany Tettero1,2, Aniek Siezenga1,2
1Department of Criminology, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, Günterstalstraße 73, Freiburg, 79100, Germany, 49 761 7081 324.
Journal of Medical Internet Research
|May 13, 2026
Summary
Digital interventions using smartphone apps or virtual reality (VR) improved future self-identification and goal pursuit in students. While short-term benefits were observed, long-term effects on future orientation were not sustained.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Behavioral Science
- Educational Technology
Background:
- Identification with one's future self is crucial for motivating future-oriented choices and goal pursuit.
- Traditional interventions to enhance future self-identification often rely on imagination, potentially limiting effectiveness.
- Emerging digital technologies offer novel ways to make the future self more tangible, potentially improving interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of a digital intervention on future self-identification and related outcomes.
- To compare the efficacy of a smartphone app versus immersive virtual reality (VR) for future self-intervention.
- To assess impacts on future orientation, consideration of future consequences, self-defeating behavior, and goal achievement.
Main Methods:
- A 3-arm randomized controlled trial involving 321 first-year university students.
- Participants were randomized to a smartphone app, immersive VR future-self intervention, or an active goal-setting control.
- Interventions involved interacting with a visualized future self over 3 weeks; outcomes were assessed at baseline and follow-up.
Main Results:
- Both smartphone and VR interventions significantly improved future self-identification aspects (vividness, valence, connectedness) in the short term.
- Interventions buffered declines in future orientation during the study; VR showed higher goal achievement.
- Effects on future orientation diminished by 6-month follow-up; no significant effects were found for self-defeating behavior or academic performance.
Conclusions:
- Digital interventions, including smartphone and VR formats, can enhance future self-identification and short-term goal pursuit.
- These findings underscore the potential of scalable digital future self approaches in educational and preventive health.
- Further research is needed to optimize long-term effectiveness and explore broader applications.
