The effect of mental imagery on intervention using the time machine question: Examining changes in emotion and differences in mental imagery among individuals

Abstract

We aimed to examine the effect of mental imagery on intervention using the time machine question along with the influence of an intervention on emotional state. We examined emotional states before and after the intervention task. The scores on the positive emotion scale were significantly higher after the intervention. The negative emotion scale scores were significantly lower after the intervention. We then compared the emotional changes between the high and low imagery ability groups. We found that the emotional changes before and after the intervention were different between the ability groups. These results suggested that the intervention involving imagining one’s future via the time machine question directly influenced individuals’ emotional states.