Author: Clare Walsh, Lecturer in Psychology, University of Plymouth

In the film My Old Ass, on a trip to an island with friends and some hallucinogenic mushrooms, Elliott has a unique experience where she gets to meet her older self. This sets the scene for a dialogue where 39-year-old Elliott gets to reflect and impart advice about the things she wishes she had done differently. She does this in the hope that 18-year-old Elliott will think about where her actions might lead. While it’s unlikely many of us will get the opportunity to actually talk to our younger or older selves, many of us, I’m sure, daydream about what…