Making Meaning of the Madness

Office Hours with Professor Hal Hershfield, PhD

During periods of extreme stress and uncertainty, people often find that their priorities shift. Psychologist Hal Hershfield shares his insights from other emotionally charged periods in people’s lives to enhance advisors’ ability to steer clients away from short-term decisions that could impact long-term goals.

Hal Hershfield is an Associate Professor of Marketing, Behavioral Decision Making, and Psychology at UCLA. His research, which sits at the intersection of psychology and economics, examines the ways that people consider their future selves, and how feelings of connection to these distant selves can impact financial decision-making over time. He earned his PhD in psychology from Stanford University and his BA from Tufts University.