Imagination helps us in some situations in life. We prepare ourselves in our heads for a difficult conversation or imagine a pleasant encounter. Researchers from Leipzig and the USA have now investigated what happens in the brain during this process. The results are surprising. Simply imagining a positive experience with someone can lead us to find that person more likeable.
This is shown by the new study, which was co-developed at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig. The scientists published their findings together with the University of Colorado Boulder in the USA. "We show that we can learn from imaginary experiences and that this works in the brain in a very similar way to learning from actual experiences," says study leader Roland Benoit.
How the experiment works
The scientists invited 50 people to take part in their study. The participants were asked to rank 30 well-known people in order of likability. In the magnetic resonance imaging scanner, a device for displaying brain activity, they were shown the names of neutrally classified people. Their task was to imagine a positive or negative encounter for eight seconds. For example, sharing an ice cream on a hot day or a borrowed bike that came back broken.
The result was clear. The participants liked the people with whom they had imagined positive experiences more. The brain scans showed why. The ventral striatum, a brain region for predicting rewards, was particularly active during positive imaginings.
Benefits for therapy and everyday life
"In fact, it can actively influence what we expect and how we make decisions," explains first author Aroma Dabas. She carried out the study as a doctoral student at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences.
The findings have practical benefits. In psychotherapy, patients could first overcome their fears in their imagination. At work, you could imagine a pleasant time with a difficult colleague and thus improve the relationship. In sport, too, studies show that mental training improves performance.
However, imagination also has a downside. People with anxiety often imagine negative things, which can exacerbate their problems. However, the current study did not find that negative imaginings automatically make people less likeable.
