Gilbert's claim that our ability to predict the future is deeply flawed – not because we cannot foresee events, but because we cannot accurately predict our emotional responses to them – surprised me. Even if someone knew everything that was going to happen to them within the next five years, they still wouldn't know if those events would leave a positive or negative impact on them. A few examples that Gilbert cites are people losing their jobs and later reflecting that it was the best thing that ever happened to them, or lottery winners who came to rue their winnings (and the attention it brought them). This concept challenges the notion that better predictions will lead to improved life satisfaction.
Unanswered Question: Are there methods or approaches in psychology that could help us bridge the gap between expectation and emotional reality? Or will that forever be a limitation of human prediction?