Abstract for Future Sense:Complexity & Mobilizing Our Adaptations

Human behavior --- group and individual --- steers between chaotic or static conditions that are functionally similar to those seen in mathematical, physical, chemical, and biological systems as well as in decision networks. Our common sense is that we either "simplify" or "complicate" our lives from moment to moment as we avoid the traps of confinement or impulsiveness.

A "maybe" zone, a phase transition that often separates chaos and stasis, allows us to weigh future outcomes against both current conditions and past experiences. This strategy of remaining in our phase transition is mediated by our genes, culture, families, and personal mental executive functions.

Remaining in a phase transition is usually consistent with our avoiding extinction and finding diversification. In this process, we take adaptive walks between extremes of immobility on the one hand and disorganization on the other as we explore every possible niche and modify it for our use.

Our phase transition (genetic, cultural, and executive functions) gives us not only a sense of alternative futures but also the analytical and synthetic tools to incorporate delayed rather than immediate satisfactions. Recommendations are offered to enhance the activation of human executive functions in regard to pressing environmental choices.

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