People who frequently project themselves into the future may be doing so because their brains are wired to reward the behavior. Professor Ekrem Dere of Ruhr University Bochum and Sorbonne Université in Paris has developed a theory suggesting that "mental time travel" functions through a universal learning principle known as operant conditioning.
His findings were published online April 6, 2026, in the journal Psychological Review. The research addresses why individuals dedicate significant cognitive effort to planning for future scenarios, even when those tasks offer no immediate material payoff.
"The benefit of future-oriented mental time travel is clear," Dere said. "It allows us to be more successful and less stressed in our day-to-day, as the future becomes more predictable and thus easier to plan."
The self-reinforcement hypothesis
Dere’s hypothesis states that when a person uses mental time travel to solve a professional or social challenge, the brain’s reward system activates. This activation reinforces the behavior, making it more likely that the individual will engage in such planning again. He believes this process relies on the mesolimbic dopamine system.
To prove this, Dere suggests that functional magnetic resonance imaging could demonstrate that frequent "time travelers" possess a more reactive reward system. By visualizing a potential outcome, the brain provides a dopamine-driven incentive that helps the person retain the plan until it is executed.
However, this cognitive mechanism can also become a liability. In clinical contexts, the same process can trap individuals in cycles of negative rumination. Dere warns that people may project past traumatic experiences into the future, creating a loop of catastrophizing that fuels anxiety and maladaptive avoidance behavior.
"In a pathopsychological context, the cognitive function of mental time travel can also be hijacked by disease-preserving processes," Dere explained. He argues that therapeutic interventions should focus on training patients to replace these negative projections with constructive, adaptive future planning.
The research was supported by the German Research Foundation. As the theory gains traction, it may offer new pathways for treating chronic mental health conditions characterized by persistent negative outlooks.
