This article discusses mental time travel's role in identity and decision-making, highlighting its impact on understanding self.
In this short article, the author explores the interrelationship between mind, time, and the uniquely human capacity for “mental time travel,” i.e., the ability to reconstruct past experiences and imagine possible futures while anchored in the present moment. The article discusses how memory, anticipation, and reflective awareness shape personal identity, decision-making, and emotional experience. By integrating psychological insights with philosophical reflection, the author highlights how the present serves as a dynamic point of integration between recollection and projection. The piece invites readers to consider how conscious engagement with mental time travel influences meaning-making, growth, and self-understanding.
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Kok Hwee Chia (2014) studied this question.
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