George Loewenstein has been at the forefront of progress in bringing together the disciplines of economics and psychology. One area in which he has made a major contribution is in the analysis of intertemporal choice: the extent to which and reasons why we are prepared to defer some immediate benefit for a greater benefit at a later date. This volume includes Loewenstein's most important papers on the topic and an introduction which sets the papers in an overall framework, taking account of current work in this area.