figure 11.12 Goals and the brain Goals are thoughts about (1) future outcomes that (2) people value. It’s no coincidence that thinking about goals activates two areas of the brain: (1) the posterior cingulate cortex (in the brain scan on the top, the highlighted area on the left; this area is active when people contemplate future possibilities) and (2) the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (in the brain scan on the top, the highlighted area on the right; this brain region is active in the computation of value, that is, whether a given piece of information is valuable to oneself). Their combined input enables people to think about goals that direct their behavior.