The ability to project oneself into the future represents one of the distinct features of the
human being. Some studies have suggested that projecting oneself in a future instance through
episodic future thinking (EFT) may prompt a positive impact in several health-risk behaviors,
such as addictions. EFT has gain certain popularity in experimental and clinical research in the
addictions field. The aim of this work is to review the theoretical and empirical fundamentals of
EFT, the evidence-base of its effectiveness, and its feasibility to be implemented in clinical and
treatment settings. Lastly, studies’ limitations that question EFT effectiveness are presented in
the context of future research lines pertaining to the EFT efficacy assessment.
Authors
-
Alba González-Roz - Grupo de Investigación en Conductas Adictivas. Departamento de Psicología. Universidad de Oviedo
-
Gema Aonso-Diego - Grupo de Investigación en Conductas Adictivas. Departamento de Psicología. Universidad de Oviedo
-
Roberto Secades-Villa - Grupo de Investigación en Conductas Adictivas. Departamento de Psicología. Universidad de Oviedo
Keywords:
Addictions, behavioral economics, episodic future thinking, impulsive choice, substance use disorder.