Is it Time to Reminisce About the Future?

Abstract

Although reminiscence, by definition, involves recalling episodic memories from one's personal past, this process often triggers thoughts of the future. Conversely, imagining our future can frequently stimulate reminiscence. This paper describes, and briefly discusses, how reminiscing and imagining our future share many properties in common, including the length of their temporal extension, how they are cognitively constructed, and their shared underlying neuro-anatomical pathways. The consequences and challenges for both reminiscence research and clinical practise are briefly addressed and future explorations are suggested.