A new neuroimaging study reveals people who consider themselves to be egotistical have no increased activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex when they think about the distant future. By contrast, altruistic people have increased activity in this region when asked to consider the consequences of the distant future.
According to researchers, people are better able to exercise patience and better imagine future outcomes when framing choices as a sequence of events.
Researchers report the hippocampus isn't just important for remembering past events, it also plays a vital role in future planning.