The default mode network (DMN), traditionally seen as an internally focused system for daydreaming and planning, is proposed to be an active 'sense-making' network that combines incoming external information with prior internal knowledge to build rich, context-dependent models of unfolding situations. Review of studies using naturalistic stimuli like stories and movies shows that an individual's DMN responses are shaped both by external information accumulating over time and by personal past memories. This integration over long timescales creates a shared neural code essential for shared meaning, communication, narratives, and social communities.
Consumers are more likely to choose alternative proteins in the morning than at other times of day. A sense of self-transcendence—feeling connected to something larger than oneself—explains why morning hours boost these choices, and this effect is stronger among people who tend to think abstractly. Three experiments with a randomized mixed design tested how temporal landmarks, self-transcendence, and mindset abstraction shape preferences. The findings suggest that morning contexts trigger self-transcendence, which in turn increases the selection of plant-based or other alternative proteins over traditional meat. The work integrates temporal psychology and construal level theory to show how micro-level time cues connect to macro-level environmental values, offering practical guidance for designing morning-targeted campaigns that promote sustainable eating and help mitigate climate change.