Robert Exley, Jr., a CNBC staffer, now and at some possible future time. Robert Exley, Jr. | CNBC

It's fun, it's Russian, it's potentially dangerous. FaceApp, the amusing smartphone app that gives you a sense of what you might look like in 20, 30 or 40 years, can also help you better save for retirement. Celebrities including the Jonas brothers and LeBron James have posted their own aged faces, and the comments are telling. "Equal parts hilarious and terrifying," said Mindy Kaling on Instagram.

Most people have a difficult time projecting how they'll look or live in 30 years. That future self is a stranger, and "we tend to discount their pains, pleasures and needs," said Jamie Hopkins, director of retirement research at Carson Group, an investment advisor in Omaha, Nebraska. When an individual's life trajectory is a question mark, it can be harder for her to plan for it, said Sarah Raposo, a researcher at the Stanford University's Life-span Development Laboratory. Before FaceApp came along, Raposo and other Stanford researchers used virtual reality technology to show people their aging avatars, in the hopes they'd develop empathy for their 70- or 80-year-old self. In other words, one of the best ways to connect with that older person you'll become in a few decades is to see a picture. Start by checking out your older self, wrinkles and all, with FaceApp — just be sure to do it safely so you don't give up valuable personal data. Other apps, such as Oldify and AgingBooth, work similarly. Once you get over the shock, try to imagine your older, future self living in retirement on what you're putting away now.

Hannah Goldstein, a CNBC staffer, now and in the (possible) future Hanna Goldstein | CNBC

A little pictorial reminder can't hurt and may even help. A.J. Jacobs, author of "Drop Dead Healthy," a retelling of his quest to become the healthiest man in the world, kept a photo of himself created with aging filters using the app HourFace to remind him why he was subjecting himself to rigorous diet and exercise regimes. Robert Exley Jr., a 30-year-old CNBC video producer, says short- and medium-term goals were taking up more of his attention than the long-distance future. FaceApp was an eye-opener. "Putting a face to it makes me feel like I should get more serious about my 30- to 40-year-plan," said Exley. Hannah Goldstein, 24, a member of CNBC's social media team, says the app didn't change the way she feels about money, savings and retirement. "I'm already thinking about those things," she said.

It makes sense that a lot of young people can't easily imagine where they're headed. A Forbes article titled, "The Young and the Restless: Millennials On The Move," describes how it's uncommon for millennial generation members to stay planted in one spot for long. A Gallup survey found that millennials are more likely to hop from employer to employer than prior generations.