Research report 2019 - Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Memories of the future
Authors
Benoit, Roland
Departments
Max-Planck-Forschungsgruppe „Adaptives Gedächtnis“
Summary
Humans are capable of transcending beyond the here and now. Our memory systems allow us to vividly remember previous experiences. However, recent years have seen accumulating evidence that our memories are not just made for the past. Instead, they also allow us to mentally travel into the future by imagining prospective events. Such imaginings foster more farsighted decisions. They also allow us to learn much the same way that we learn from real experiences.