India, April 10 -- A researcher in Bochum has proposed a new theory suggesting that "mental time travel"-the ability to imagine oneself in the future-may activate the brain's reward system, reinforcing the behaviour over time.

Visualising future scenarios helps individuals anticipate the consequences of their actions and plan accordingly. However, people vary in how often they engage in this cognitive process.

Professor Ekrem Dere of Ruhr University Bochum and Sorbonne Universite has developed a theory to explain why.

His findings, published in the journal Psychological Review on April 6, 2026, suggest that imagining the future can internally reward the brain, encouraging the habit.

"The benefit of future-oriented mental time travel i...