Choices and persuasion
Hyperbolic discounting
Also called Present bias
People weigh rewards now far more heavily than rewards later, so they choose a small benefit today over a bigger one tomorrow.
A reward that's here now outweighs a better one next month, and people plan to do the hard thing tomorrow because tomorrow's effort feels smaller.
Design for it by giving immediate value: show progress now, reward the first step, and make long-term benefits feel close with reminders of what's already been gained.
In practice
A savings app that shows 'you saved £4 today' right after each round-up tends to keep people saving better than one that only shows a forecast for next year.
Common mistake
Exploiting it with 'buy now, pay later' offers that hide the real cost until later.
Where it comes from
George Ainslie described the pattern in 1975. Richard Thaler and later David Laibson brought it into behavioural economics.