Velleman’s explanation about why we prefer an improving life to a declining one isn’t because we place greater weight on what happens at the end, but because later events can alter the meaning of earlier events. This may derive from our yearning to instill life with meaning. We are drawn to the story of someone who sees the error of their youthful ways and grows, someone who becomes a better person. This makes for a more satisfying trajectory, a more inspirational and aspirational theme, than someone who goes in the opposite direction. When we have the good times and the bad times actually
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