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imagination

·June 5, 2025·5 min read

How the Brain Tells Imagination from Reality, And When It Fails

A new study identifies the brain mechanisms that help us distinguish real experiences from imagined ones. Researchers found that the fusiform gyrus—a region involved in visual processing—plays a key role in telling reality from imagination, especially when we mentally picture something vividly.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 25, 2024·4 min read

Imagination Reduces Disgust More Than Placebo

A recent study compared the effects of a placebo pill and an imaginary pill in reducing visually induced disgust. Both interventions lowered disgust intensity, with the imaginary placebo showing greater efficacy. Participants rated the imaginary pill higher for expected and perceived effectiveness. This research suggests that the imaginary intake of a placebo can be a powerful tool for emotion regulation.

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·January 19, 2024·3 min read

AI Unlocks Secrets of Human Imagination and Memory Formation

A new study employs generative AI to shed light on how the human brain processes memories for learning, imagination, and planning. The study used a computational model resembling the hippocampus and neocortex's neural networks to simulate memory encoding and retrieval.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 1, 2023·4 min read

How Imagination Fuels Empathy and Prosocial Behavior

A new study highlights the significant role of imagination in evoking empathy and driving prosocial behavior. While empathy is multifaceted, this research focuses on two aspects: personal distress and compassionate concern. The study reveals that vividly imagining someone else's problems increases personal distress, motivating individuals to offer help.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 2, 2023·6 min read

Animals Imagine Too

Researchers discovered that, akin to humans, animals have an imagination. Using a unique combination of virtual reality and a brain-machine interface, they probed a rat's innermost thoughts.

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·June 11, 2023·4 min read

The Mind’s Tapestry: Weaving the Neurological Threads of Imagination

Imagination is a cornerstone of human cognition, yet its neurological roots have remained somewhat elusive. Recent advances in neuroscience have begun to uncover the brain's intricate architecture underlying imagination, showing it to be a multi-faceted process involving various regions and networks.

This shows the outline of a head and a sunset

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 29, 2023·5 min read

Focusing on Mental Imagery Helps Teens Break Free From Negativity

Negative rumination can be improved by using mental imagery for teens, a new study reports. Mental imagery appears to improve negative affect and helps regulate the nervous system, the researchers reported. While researchers were unable to answer why mental imagery was so effective, they hypothesised imagery is more immersive and requires greater effort, creating a greater emotional response and thus a larger distraction.

This shows the outline of a head, birds and a stair case

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 21, 2023·3 min read

Reality or Illusion? The Human Battle with Distinguishing Imagination from Reality

The more vividly we imagine something, the more likely we are to believe it's real, a new study reports. Researchers found the brain encodes the vividness of perceived and real stimuli in a similar manner, resulting in a confusion between reality and imagination.

This shows a scene of a book and a person walking with balloons

Featured Neuroscience

·March 13, 2023·6 min read

Imagination Makes Us Human

By considering brain areas associated with imagination, researchers are able to look back over millions of years to find out how imagination first evolved in humans.

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·March 3, 2023·5 min read

Imagination Is a Spectrum, and 1% Of People Can’t Mentally Visualize Things at All

1% of the population experience aphantasia, or mind-blindness, which is an inability to visualize concepts or thoughts in their imagination. Researchers investigate this phenomenon and offer explanations as to how this may occur.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 21, 2022·3 min read

Babies Found to Have Greater Imagination Than Previously Known

Infants as young as 14 months can contemplate several alternatives on their own if they have been exposed to an object that is not clearly recognizable and is open to interpretation.

This is a drawing of a head with a spider crawling on it

Featured Neuroscience Psychology Visual Neuroscience

·October 29, 2021·5 min read

Not Spooked by Halloween Ghost Stories? You May Have Aphantasia

Do you experience difficulties conjuring up visual images in your mind while listening to spooky stories? You may have aphantasia, researchers report.