Oddbean new post about | logout
 It doesn’t matter what they prefer or what they think. You can consider it a spectrum and even say that it can fluctuate but those behaviors are still high time preference. The reason I don’t do fentanyl is because I know it can ruin my life in the future. It won’t ruin it in the present. The present would be a great experience on fentanyl and if I didn’t care about my future I would do it. 

And fixing those issues requires a lower time preference because it takes hard work. Going to the gym, practicing social skills, and improving libido require a low time preference because the rewards of all those activities are not recognized in the present. The fruits of that work are recognized in the future IF the person can consistently do that work.