Affective forecasting

Affective forecasting is like trying to guess how you will feel in the future. It's kind of like predicting the weather. If a weather report says it is going to be sunny tomorrow, you can expect to go outside and feel the sun's warmth on your face and hear the birds chirping. Similarly, if you think you will be happy if you get a promotion or buy a new car, affective forecasting can help you predict how happy you will feel if you actually get the promotion or buy the car.