Journey Into Imagination
How does the mind control your imagination? Imagination is the key that unlocks the door to endless possibilities, a place in the mind where anything can happen. There are two main parts of a person’s brain that control their imagination: the prefrontal cortex, and the parietal and occipital lobes.The prefrontal cortex sits towards the front of the brain and is capable of sending signals all throughout the brain. It is an important piece of helping imagination work due to its ability to sync different parts of the brain (Hathaway & Newton, 2023). In addition to syncing up different parts of the brain, evidence shows that the prefrontal cortex controls much of the brain’s creativity, a factor in bolstering one’s imagination. The theory of mental synthesis proposes that the prefrontal cortex can also create completely new images from two previously existing images (Vyshedskiy & Dunn, 2015). The ability to form mental images, images that are formed in one of the parietal or occipital lobes (Wu & D’Costa, 2021), two lobes located in the middle and back of the brain. These lobes have control over sight, hearing, taste, and vision and are responsible for spacing images out into a person's imagination. The frontal lobe also helps with creative thinking, which is part of the imagination.
Creativity, the ability to create something using your imagination, is also extremely important to imagination (Smith, 2023). Additionally, creativity also uses the same pieces of the brain to function as the imagination, showing how deeply they are linked (JWU, 2023). One example of using imagination in life is creativity, the expansion of imagination into reality. Creativity is the use of imagination, so anything that is imagined is most likely going to move to the category of creativity.
Imagination is a mental process, meaning it is entirely contained within the brain. But what happens to the rest of the brain while someone is imagining? While you are imagining, multiple processes are activated in the brain. One effect of intense imagination is less precise brain activity and less spatial awareness because the brain focuses on receiving the mental images. These both go through similar processes, except that neurons are more spread out when imagining, making a slightly different image (Bridges, 2020). Furthermore, perception can also be distorted, such as changing colors or patterns. On the other hand, imagination improves human memory because it uses a similar function of information retrieval. This can delay dementia and help with improving the ability to recall previous images. It can also change neuron pathways by entering and changing memories as well as improving connections between the brain and other parts of the body.
Imagination and creativity can improve mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. Imagination helps innovate and fuel peoples’ desire to learn because it expands curiosity and gives space to build on questions and ideas (Futter, 2020). It keeps humans open-minded and in the mindset that anything is possible. Imagination can help solve problems and brainstorm ideas (Roos, 2023). Additionally, it allows for creativity and allows people to see images that no one has ever seen before (Vyshedskiy & Dunn, 2015). Imagination can improve many activities done in daily life such as memory, visualization, and brain coordination (Kober & Wood, 2017).
References:
JWU. (2023, July 6). The Brain Region Behind Creativity and Imagination | JWU CPS. JWU College of Professional Studies. https://online.jwu.edu/blog/unlocking-power-mind-brain-region-behind-creativity-and-imagination/
Why Imagination? (2020, July 3). ImaginED. https://www.educationthatinspires.ca/why-imagination/
How do we imagine a novel object? (2016). ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160105112105.htm
De Souza, L. C., Guimarães, H. C., Teixeira, A. L., Caramelli, P., Levy, R., Dubois, B., & Volle, E. (2014). Frontal lobe neurology and the creative mind. Frontiers in Psychology, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00761
Bridges, C. (2020, July 9). Is what I see, what I imagine? Study finds neural overlap between vision and imagination. Web.musc.edu. https://web.musc.edu/about/news-center/2020/07/09/how-the-brain-sees-and-imagines-images
Roos, J. (2023, February 21). Why Cultivating Curiosity & Imagination Benefits Your Business. Hult International Business School. https://www.hult.edu/blog/why-cultivating-curiosity-imagination-benefits-your-business/
Missing a Mind’s Eye: The Metacognition of Aphantasia. (2021, October 21). Grey Matters. https://greymattersjournal.org/missing-a-minds-eye-the-metacognition-of-aphantasia/
Kober, S. E., & Wood, G. (2017). How to Exercise by Imagining Movements. Frontiers for Young Minds, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2017.00042
Hathaway, W. R., & Newton, B. W. (2020). Neuroanatomy, Prefrontal Cortex. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499919/