Does the Brain Distinguish Reality from Imagination?
Photo by William Oh
Used by elite athletes, top business leaders, and peak performers in various fields, visualization techniques are a highly effective mental training tool. Psychologists have been using visualization techniques for decades, as a way to help individuals mentally rehearse a desired outcome.
Believe it or not, our brains use visualization every day. In fact, we visualize so constantly that we aren’t even aware of it. This is similar to breathing—we usually aren’t aware of the fact that we are breathing unless we intentionally direct our attention to it through meditation.
But most people actually use visualization in ways that damage them. And because they are not aware of what they are visualizing, they may be anticipating undesired outcomes.
For example, there are some people who worry a lot.
Those who have the habit of worrying excessively may feel nervous, concerned, or fearful about their future. This may cause an individual to excessively imagine worst-case scenarios regarding future situations. And because he or she may be visualizing a negative outcome so vividly and realistically, the brain starts to believe that the imagination is real.
As a result, he or she may start to engage in negative thinking and behave in ways that reinforce negative outcomes.
But is it true that the brain can’t distinguish the differences between realities and imagined scenarios?
One of my favorite 1995 research by Pascual Leone, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, verifies this claim.
In his research, a group of volunteers was asked to play a simple sequence of piano notes every day for five days. Another group of volunteers was asked to imagine playing the notes. Both of their brains were scanned every day.
Take a look at the provided image:
The top two rows show the brain scans of those who physically played the piano while the second two rows show the brain scans of those who only mentally practiced the piano.
It’s true—the brain doesn’t distinguish reality from imagination.
In fact, Leone goes so far as to conclude that “mental practice alone seems to be sufficient” and seems to be “an advantage for further skill learning with minimal physical practice.” (Leone, 1995, 1037)
As the research suggests, visualization is powerful because it tricks your brain into believing that something that has not happened in reality is real.
If we are not careful, we may be using visualization to elicit undesired outcomes (as in the example of the excessive worrier).
But the good news is that if we are intentional in using visualization techniques correctly, the benefits are endless. In fact, here are some of the many ways visualization can benefit you:
It gives you confidence
It helps you recover from an illness or disease
It helps you lose weight
It helps you succeed in your career
It improves your ability in sports
It improves interpersonal relations
It increases motivation
It promotes relaxation and reduces stress
It increases positive thoughts
It reduces anxiety
It optimizes performance
It gives you a wider point of view
It helps you to change habits
As we learned in the research, you can even play the piano without touching a keyboard.
So whatever it is that you want to improve in your life, don’t forget that you have more control over your mind and body than you think.
I highly encourage you to explore the fascinating world of visualization because it has helped so many people in so many different fields. (It has definitely helped me as well!)
Take care and I wish you all the best!