Figure 2. Mechanisms and functions of episodic future thinking.

Middle panel. Episodic future thinking is the capacity to imagine or simulate specific events that may take place in the personal future. Left Panel. The capacity to simulate events is supported by cognitive mechanisms that involve extracting elements of past experiences (e.g., familiar people, places, and objects) and using that information to form novel mental representations that are projected into the future. A core network of brain regions that include medial and lateral aspects of the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes enable this ability to extract past experience in the service of simulating the future. The core network largely falls within the brain’s default network (dark borders) [Taken from Benoit, R.G., Schacter, D.L. (2015, p. 454) Specifying the core network supporting episodic simulation and episodic memory by activation likelihood estimation. Neuropsychologia, 75, 450–457]. L = left. R = right. Right Panel. Simulation of future events has been shown to support a variety of adaptive behaviors. Far-sighted decision making. Imagining desired health outcomes (e.g., healthy weight) facilitates the ability to make decisions that support those outcomes (e.g., choosing healthy over unhealthy snacks; ⁷¹–⁷³). Emotion regulation. Imagining possible positive outcomes related to a worrisome event reduces anxiety about that event (85). Prospective memory. Simulating an upcoming intention (e.g., picking up bread on the way home from work) makes it more likely that the intention will be remembered and carried out (89–91). Spatial navigation. Simulating traveling along a particular route can support planning and navigational goals (105–107).