Stumbling on Happiness

Imagine a world where every step you take, every decision you make, is guided not just by what is happening now, but by a vivid, mental projection of what might happen next. This is the remarkable gift of prospection, the ability to imagine the future, a faculty that distinguishes humans from all other animals. Our brains, especially the frontal lobe, have evolved to let us mentally travel through time, creating scenarios that have never yet occurred but might soon unfold. This capacity is not merely a quirk of cognition; it underpins our planning, our hopes, and even our anxieties.

Consider the story of a man who, despite severe frontal lobe damage, lives locked in an eternal present, unable to imagine tomorrow. His life is a poignant window into what it means to lose this gift. Without the ability to project oneself forward, the future becomes an empty room with no furniture, no meaning, no hope. This illustrates how central prospection is to our experience of life and happiness.

Our brains are constantly 'nexting'—predicting the immediate next moment without conscious effort. When you read a sentence, your brain anticipates the next word. When you catch a ball, it predicts where it will be. This automatic forecasting is crucial for survival but is only a small part of the prospection story.

What truly sets humans apart is the conscious construction of distant futures, the imagining of ourselves years, months, or even seconds ahead, making decisions now to shape those futures. We plan for retirement, save money, diet, and exercise, all acts of charity toward our future selves. But this gift comes with a cost: the future we imagine is often an illusion, colored by our present state and limited imagination.

Interestingly, humans also exhibit an illusion of control, believing they can influence chance events. For example, people prefer lottery tickets they choose themselves or feel more confident when they throw dice themselves, even though the outcomes are random. This illusion is not just folly; it provides psychological comfort and a sense of agency that is deeply rewarding.

This section has introduced the foundation of our ability to think about the future and its emotional significance. As we journey deeper, we will explore how this gift shapes our happiness and the errors it leads us to make.