The article explores how humans mentally traverse psychological distances—temporal, spatial, social, and hypothetical—by abstractly processing information. People experience only themselves here and now but often consider distant events, others' experiences, and hypothetical scenarios. This ability is enabled by the human capacity for abstract mental representation. Psychological distance is linked to mental construal, where higher-level construals abstractly represent objects, focusing on core features rather than incidental details. This process guides prediction, evaluation, and planning. Research shows that psychological distances are mentally associated, and that higher-level construals are used for more distant objects. Construal level theory (CLT) suggests that as psychological distance increases, construals become more abstract, and as abstraction increases, so do the perceived distances. This reciprocal relationship is supported by studies showing that higher-level construals lead to more distant thinking and that distance affects how people perceive and respond to objects. Psychological distance influences prediction, evaluation, and behavior. Distant events are predicted with more schematic, abstract representations, leading to prediction biases. Evaluations of distant outcomes are influenced more by high-level, central features than low-level, peripheral ones. Behavior is guided more by global concerns as distance increases, leading to more logrolling agreements in negotiations and better self-control in delaying gratification. The article concludes that psychological distance is a multidimensional concept that encompasses time, space, social, and hypothetical aspects. Understanding these dimensions helps explain how people make decisions, evaluate outcomes, and act in various contexts. The findings highlight the role of abstract thinking in transcending the present and expanding mental horizons.The article explores how humans mentally traverse psychological distances—temporal, spatial, social, and hypothetical—by abstractly processing information. People experience only themselves here and now but often consider distant events, others' experiences, and hypothetical scenarios. This ability is enabled by the human capacity for abstract mental representation. Psychological distance is linked to mental construal, where higher-level construals abstractly represent objects, focusing on core features rather than incidental details. This process guides prediction, evaluation, and planning. Research shows that psychological distances are mentally associated, and that higher-level construals are used for more distant objects. Construal level theory (CLT) suggests that as psychological distance increases, construals become more abstract, and as abstraction increases, so do the perceived distances. This reciprocal relationship is supported by studies showing that higher-level construals lead to more distant thinking and that distance affects how people perceive and respond to objects. Psychological distance influences prediction, evaluation, and behavior. Distant events are predicted with more schematic, abstract representations, leading to prediction biases. Evaluations of distant outcomes are influenced more by high-level, central features than low-level, peripheral ones. Behavior is guided more by global concerns as distance increases, leading to more logrolling agreements in negotiations and better self-control in delaying gratification. The article concludes that psychological distance is a multidimensional concept that encompasses time, space, social, and hypothetical aspects. Understanding these dimensions helps explain how people make decisions, evaluate outcomes, and act in various contexts. The findings highlight the role of abstract thinking in transcending the present and expanding mental horizons.