Scientists Say Humans Have the Unique Ability to Mentally Time Travel

Have you ever imagined that you are capable of time travel? Some scientists argue that we are all capable of it. However, not the time travel you are thinking of, we are talking about our mind’s ability to project itself to the past or the future. One of the most unique things to humans and it is one of the reasons we have become the apex species on this planet. Let’s discuss what it really is and how it helped human evolution.

What Is Mental Time Travel?

Mental time travel is referred to by scientists as the human capability to project ourselves backwards in time to relive experiences in our own perception, or anticipate what is going to happen in the future, by putting ourselves in a scenario based on current and past events.

It can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how we use it and our overall well-being. An example of its good use is projecting ourselves into the past, which means we can try to find lessons we could have learned that we did not in the first place.

Here is another example, but this time as a bad thing, thinking and worrying about the future so much that you have completely removed yourself from the present moment. There is nothing inherently wrong with worrying about the future; it helps us humans plan and anticipate threats. However, too much of it could mean you are missing the current time you are in, overthinking about a future that might or might not happen.

Read more: BMC Psychology

Is Mental Time Travel Unique to Humans?

Mental Time Travel: Your Brain Is Literally a Time Machine | Dean Buonamano / Big Think

While some animals have been thought to exhibit behavior that demonstrates their ability to plan for the future, such as great apes, the consensus among the scientific community is that we are the only species capable of having this much depth and realism in mental time travel.

This is one of the defining features of our species, and one that has made us at the top of the food chain. Unlike other animals, when we project ourselves into the past or the future, it can closely resemble what happened or what is about to happen, because we usually base them on real events.

Another unique ability is our self-reflective qualities during our own mental time travel, so that even in those scenarios, we are aware and have consciousness. That means, we are not just doing it instinctively; most of the time, it has a particular purpose, like learning what one should have done during this event, or what one should do if this event happened.

The Role of Language and Consciousness

You might not think too much of it, but when you are mentally time-travelling to the past or the future, one important factor in it is language. Since in our past or future experiences that we visit, there is also a narrative and a story, language to facilitate communication and sharing of knowledge is necessary.

Language is also tied to consciousness in a way that when we visit those past or future experiences, when we talk or relive any form of communication, we know which one is us, or are aware that that specific sentence was us speaking.

However, there was once a time when our language was not as evolved as now, so most of the mental time travel we have done in the past is most likely a series of images based on our instinct. The thought of this is a testament to just how much we have gone through evolution to arrive at who we are today.

Read more: Science Direct

Implications for Human Evolution and Society

Human civilization is one of the most complex things we have ever done throughout our timeline. Our ability to project ourselves into the past or into the future is one of its foundations.

Here are some examples. We have dams and food reserves because we, as a species, know that we will need to eat and drink to survive. So in anticipation of that, we save those water and food supplies so that if we ever run out due to some scenarios, some particular persons thought of through mental time travelling to the future, we are prepared for it.

Another is the passing of social norms and cultural expectations. By time-traveling to the past, our brains can relive what is good and bad about those experiences and then pass that information to the next generation, either for survival or to reach the next level of human civilization.

Mental Time Travel: When Our Brain Is Our Time Machine

Author's Final Thoughts

Our minds as a species are the greatest gift and upper hand we have ever received or evolved into. Reflecting on the past and envisioning our futures is the main reason we have dominated the planet. This ability distinguishes us from other animals, and as we gain more insights into how it all works, we will understand more what it means to be a human being.

Read more: Scientists Say They Successfully Froze Light for the First Time — A First Step Toward Controlling and Storing Light

References & Further Reading

Suddendorf, T., & Corballis, M. C. (2007). The evolution of foresight: What is mental time travel, and is it unique to humans? Behavioral and Brain Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X07001975

Atance, C. M., & O’Neill, D. K. (2001). Episodic future thinking. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1364-6613(00)01804-0

Schacter, D. L., & Addis, D. R. (2008). Episodic simulation of future events. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1440.001

Buckner, R. L., & Carroll, D. C. (2007). Self-projection and the brain. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2006.11.004

Tulving, E. (2002). Episodic memory: From mind to brain. Annual Review of Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.53.100901.135114