Abstract
Taylor and colleagues show simulating future events — especially positive alternatives — can improve coping and affective forecast accuracy in their data.
Taylor, S. E., & Schneider, S. K. (1989). Social Cognition, 7(2), 174–194. DOI
Key findings
- Simulated futures — Imagining how events might unfold changes emotional preparation.
- Coping boost — Structured simulation supports problem-focused coping before stress hits.
- Affective forecast — People who simulate often predict feelings more accurately than those who don’t.
- Not fantasy only — Useful simulation is specific, not vague daydreaming.
Limits
Social psychology experiments — effect sizes vary by task and population.
Application
When dread is vague — run a specific simulation of the week ahead, not catastrophic blur. See Imagination as Reality.