Neuroscientist says writing a letter to your future self can boost happiness and improve mental health
Updated on: Nov 13, 2025 10:00 am IST
Neuroscientist Erin Clabough says writing letters to your future self gives you the chance to assess if your current values align with future.
A letter to your future self can improve your mental health and make you happy, says Erin Clabough, a neuroscientist, author and professor of psychology at the University of Virginia. Here is why you should write to yourself for a better and happier future, per CNBC.
Letter to future self gives you control
Neuroscientist Erin Clabough says writing letters to your future self gives you the chance to assess if your current values align with the life you want to live. It offers you the chance to change and grow. You get to mull over what you must do to attain the goals you set for yourself.
“The idea that in the future, you’re going to come back and read that letter, I think that’s equally as important as writing it down,” Clabough adds. She says it is also important that one keeps the message “compassionate and kind” for a positive impact on mental health.
She adds that it is more useful to “set your intentions and to leave it really open-ended” in the letters. With open-ended intentions, you get to captain your ship in life.
What to include in letter to future self
Erin Clabough advises that you meditate on what is “working well in my life” and “what doesn’t feel in alignment” with how you want your life to be. She says you should be honest with yourself. Have a clear understanding of your “priorities and values” and see if you are proud of the way you are spending your time, energy, and resources.
“You can look at the idea of a placebo, and you can see that our belief in what we’re doing and what’s happening to us actually makes a huge difference,” says Clabough.
Also read: Neuroscientist shares 3 major risk factors for developing Alzheimer’s disease: Vitamin deficiency, inflammation, moreAccording to the neuroscientist, you should write a letter to yourself at least once a year. She says it is easier to overcome a challenging circumstance if you only acknowledge that you are “going through a hard thing” in your letter.
“Setting intentions makes a difference. I think this is something that should be utilized by all sorts of people, no matter their walks of life,” Clabough concludes.
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