Evaluating Future Thinking Priming Effects on Delay Discounting Among Young Adult Drinkers

The extent to which an individual prefers smaller immediate rewards over larger delayed rewards is referred to as delay discounting. Higher discounting is associated with addictive behaviors and reducing it may aid in their prevention or treatment. Consequently, interventions that decrease discounting-such as Future Thinking Priming (FTP)-have attracted research interest; however, the literature on young adults with binge drinking remains scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Future Thinking Priming (FTP) on delay discounting among individuals who engage in binge and low-risk drinking. We assessed delay discounting in 86 participants divided into two groups (future-oriented priming or control), using a pretest-posttest design. The results did not provide evidence that FTP reduces delay discounting in this sample. This null effect may reflect the fact that successful priming interventions are typically detected with large sample sizes, underscoring the need to examine potential moderators such as self-effcacy and affective valence. Finally, we found a strong correlation between pretest and posttest discounting measures, consistent with studies characterizing delay discounting as a trait variable.