For most of us, these delusions don’t rise to the level of those entertained by flat-earthers. And yet we’re biologically predisposed to create mental models of the world we live in, and the future we’re building, that don’t always match reality. There are even indications that the smarter we are, the better we are at justifying our beliefs in spite of evidence to the contrary.

Of course, the line between inspired imagination and delusion is preciously thin. Our power to change what’s coming down the pike arises from our ability to imagine futures that are different from the present. Yet, when our imagination becomes separated from reality, it slips comfortably into the realm of fantasy.

Ironically, ungrounded beliefs can still have a profound impact on our future. Believing fervently that you can fly, or that you’re invincible, is likely to lead rather rapidly to a future with a “you-shaped hole” in it. More insidiously, a belief that vaccines are highly dangerous, or that homeopathic remedies can cure cancer, or that climate change has nothing to do with human activities, can all deeply impact the future we inherit. What we learn from delusion is that it’s not always what we know that leads to actions that influence the future, but what we think we know, or what we perceive to be true, that matters.