How are we able to visualize our thoughts?
In: Biology
Your brain bases the images that form in your brain on your previous experiences. It can combine them in new ways to simulate experiences.
The zones of your brain responsible for different types of perception (visual, auditory, smell, emotions) fire up and together they can simulate an experience that almost seems real if you focus on it enough. It’s also how dreams work
There are theories that you can’t ever imagine a thing that isn’t based on what you’ve experienced before. An easy example is to try and picture a new color. Doesn’t work. Unless you’ve experienced a thing before, you can’t imagine it. You can base yourself off of what you’ve experienced in the past and modify it, but you basically never invent things from scratch. Your brain is just a big mixing vat but nothing is created.
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