Everyone hides different personalities inside them. And in a new period of life, we discover these new versions of us. That’s why we change over the years. Our outlook on life, our actions, and our behaviors become completely different.

Take Pedro Rodrigues Filho, a legend in the Brazilian criminal world. This man is infamous for his serial killings and numerous victims. The years spent in prison made him a whole new person. Pedro’s main motto transformed into a message of peace. No more murder or crime, just a call for kindness. His transformation made everyone wonder: Can a person change so much?

Of course, we don’t fall asleep one night and wake up as someone else completely. But changes still happen, even when we don’t notice them. Scientists conducted an experiment, a famous research project known as Project Talent. It lasted about five decades and demonstrated how people evolve. What were the results? It showed that more than 40% of people undergo total changes over the years. It turns out that we develop much more than we want to admit—without magic!

People have noticed a tendency to change since ancient Greece. The myth of the “Ship of Theseus” is a philosophical paradox about identity. Theseus’ ship was repaired over time with new parts. Yet, the renewed ship was not the same as it had been before. Here we can draw a parallel with human change. Over time, we become different: our bodies reboot, and our characters evolve, creating a new version of ourselves.

Philosophy also touches on other issues. What defines your identity in such a dynamic world? How can you understand who you really are? According to the English philosopher John Locke, the past and the present are closely linked through memory. But science has proven that memory is not the only trigger for changes in human identity. Another important indicator is moral values.

Science also discovered an interesting fact about how people relate to their future selves. Most of us treat our future selves as strangers. That’s why we’ll put off all the hard stuff for later, sparing no effort on your future version.