ABSTRACT
Mental.simulation.plays.a.critical.role.in.many.life.domains..The.chapters.in.this.volume.give.testament.to.this.importance,.from.thinking.about.possible.futures.(e.g.,.Dunn,.Forrin,.&.Ashton-James,. Chapter.22;.Oyserman.&.James,.Chapter.25).to.revisiting.past.events.(e.g.,.Bernstein,.Godfrey,.&. Loftus,.Chapter.6;.Lynn,.Barnes,.&.Matthews,.Chapter.7),.and.from.taking.others’.perspectives. (e.g.,.Epley.&.Caruso,.Chapter.20;.Saxe,.Chapter.17).to.planning.one’s.own.course.of.action.(e.g.,. Carroll.&.Shepperd,.Chapter.28;.Zeelenberg.&.Pieters,.Chapter.27).or.undoing.the.outcomes.of.past. actions.(e.g.,.Byrne.&.Girotto,.Chapter.10;.Markman,.Karadogan,.Lindberg,.&.Zell,.Chapter.12). and.so.on..Throughout,.mental.simulation.can.profoundly.influence.how.people.think.and.feel.about. an.issue,.with.important.consequences.for.motivation.and.behavior..Not.surprisingly,.psychologists. have.attempted.to.harness.the.power.of.mental.simulation.in.various.ways,.often.with.considerable. success..For.example,.helping.people.to.see.things.from.another’s.perspective.can.increase.empathy.(e.g.,.Batson,.Chapter.18),.having.people.imagine.desirable.or.undesirable.aspects.of.possible. futures.can.facilitate.behavior.change.(e.g.,.Oettingen.&.Kappes,.Chapter.26),.and.imagining.circumstances.conducive.to.goal.enactment.can.increase.the.likelihood.of.actual.enactment.later.(e.g.,. Faude,.Wuerz,.&.Gollwitzer,.Chapter.5).
