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How Humans Have a Time Machine in Our Heads

The ability to draw from your past and imagine a possible future is called mental time travel. And it might be only unique to humans.

By Darren Incorvaia
Sep 6, 2022 6:00 PMSep 7, 2022 1:26 PM
Mental time travel
(Credit: treety/Shutterstock)

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Have you ever found yourself in the shower the morning of a big event — say a job interview, a presentation or a tough conversation with a loved one — practicing what you’re going to say? You might set a stage in your mind, picturing the scene in myriad ways, rehearsing the situation — not unlike Nathan Fielder’s newest HBO show.

You might not realize it, but what you’re doing is actually mental time travel: drawing on your past to imagine a possible future and placing yourself there in your mind.

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