Sent to boarding school, a boy conjures up a friend to soothe his distress
A film by Tony Gammidge
Imagination
Here’s how to use your imagination to prepare for any task
From sport to public speaking, the link between mental imagery and actual performance is undeniable – and you can harness it
by Jonathan Rhodes
A philosophical approach can help you identify what truly matters
We’re often taught to live according to our values, but this is easier said than done without pausing to reflect deeply
by Valerie Tiberius
This is what a Neanderthal conversation would have sounded like
Neanderthals had language, but it differed from ours in an important way that could help explain our superior art and tech
by Steven Mithen
Psychedelics could give a mind’s eye to those who’ve never had one
Case reports suggest psychedelics might reverse aphantasia (a lack of mental imagery), but is that necessarily a good thing?
by Shayla Love
This is how your brain distinguishes reality from imagination
In terms of brain activity, imagining something is very similar to seeing it, so why don’t you confuse the two more often?
by Shayla Love
Why the concept of invisibility so captivates the imagination
From ancient fables to the latest science theory, invisibility represents some of humankind’s deepest fears and desires
by Greg Gbur
In the architecture of the mind, where lies human imagination?
In the architecture of the mind, is imagination a built-in structural feature or a result of cognitive remodelling work?
by Michael Omoge
Aphantasia can be a gift to philosophers and critics like me
Aphantasia veils the past and the future from the mind’s eye. That can be a gift to philosophers like Derek Parfit and me
by Mette Leonard Høeg
Young women were the true originators of the Grimms’ Tales
Snow White, Rapunzel, Cinderella – the old fairy tales are full of female lust and hope, and most were told by women
by Christine Lehnen
There is an unseen smuggling operation between fiction and reality
Fiction is not quarantined from reality, as experts have long proposed. There is constant trade between the two worlds
by Daniele Molinari, Valentina Petrolini & Wolfgang Huemer
Engaging with an artwork leaves you and the art transformed
When you engage with an artwork, a form of cognitive coupling takes place in which your mind and the art are transformed
by Miranda Anderson
An improvised animation doubles as an absurdly fun lesson in creativity
Directed by Sasha Svirsky
The street music of Montreal inspires an animator’s psychedelic joyride
A film by Ryan Larkin
You’re not a computer, you’re a tiny stone in a beautiful mosaic
Let’s ditch talk of computers and bank accounts. Positive mind-metaphors emphasise our embodied inter-connectedness
by Anna Katharina Schaffner
I have no mind’s eye: let me try to describe it for you
With aphantasia, my mind’s eye sees only darkness, not images. It’s like missing a sense, and only imagination can compensate
by Neesa Sunar