High rates of delay discounting are a crucial component of various behaviours including substance use disorder. Episodic Future Thinking (EFT) has surfaced as a promising intervention to reduce the preference for smaller, immediate rewards; however the mechanisms contributing to its efficacy remain underexplored. The present study examined whether a single-session EFT intervention reduces delay discounting by facilitating the process of cognitive reappraisal. 

Frequent cannabis users recruited via an online platform were randomly assigned to an EFT or a control condition. Trait cognitive reappraisal was measured at baseline to investigate its potential role as a mediator between condition and delay discounting measured with a 5-trial delay discounting task. Mediation analysis revealed that the intervention did not have a significant effect on any of the variables. 

However, a significant positive association was found between cognitive reappraisal and monetary delay discounting. These findings suggest that emotion regulation may be an important factor in valuation of monetary rewards but future research should explore more longitudinal designs to better understand the mechanisms underlying the link between  EFT and delay discounting