Imagining the Future from Past Experiences: Two Faces of ‘Mental Time Travel

Imagining the Future from Past Experiences: Two Faces of ‘Mental Time Travel’

The act of remembering yesterday and the act of planning for the coming weekend seem like completely different cognitive activities, but from a neuroscientific point of view, the two are surprisingly closely connected. Past recollections and future imagination share a system called “mental time travel,” and past memories are the most important foundations for building an unknown future beyond just historical records. As such, the ability to call out the past and the ability to draw the future are based on the same working principle of the brain, so the clearer the memory of the past, the more effective it is to imagine the future.

The first similarity these two activities share is the utilization of the same brain region. Numerous studies have revealed that a wide range of “Default Mode Networks,” which include the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex, are activated simultaneously when recalling the past and predicting the future. This means that the brain takes a system that stores and processes past information and recycles it to create future scenarios virtually. Instead of building a separate dedicated circuit for new functions, the brain uses existing memory circuits efficiently to “simulate” the future.

The second similarity is the ‘reconstructive’ nature of memory. Past recollections are not accurate recordings. We create a consistent story by assembling and editing fragments of memory (locations, people, emotions, and objects) whenever necessary. Future imagination is also the work of combining these fragments of memory. Past experiences—for example, “feel nervous about the last presentation” or “the order in which we pack for our trip”—are necessary components to make future presentations or travel plans. We can create a creative future by taking away the elements of the past, rearranging them, and adjusting them to new scenarios.

After all, the fundamental reason why past recollections help future imagination is that past memories provide a framework and constraint for the future. Past mistakes or experiences of success become essential data when planning future actions to avoid certain risks and achieve successful results. By recalling the past, we can predict potential problems that may arise in the future and try to ‘preliminary practices’ for the most effective solutions in advance. The richer the experience of the past, the more concrete, realistic, and emotionally in-depth future scenarios can be constructed. Therefore, it can be said that humans’ ability to reflect on the past is the most powerful cognitive tool for preparing and adapting to an uncertain future.