title: Quantifying the advantage of looking forward.
abstract: We introduce a future orientation index to quantify the degree to which Internet users worldwide seek more information about years in the future than years in the past. We analyse Google logs and find a striking correlation between the country's GDP and the predisposition of its inhabitants to look forward.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Preis
authors.forename: Helen Susannah
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Moat
authors.forename: H Eugene
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Stanley
authors.forename: Steven R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Bishop