how is the brain able to give us images when we are imagining something?
In: Biology
firstly you need to be careful when talking about your brain as being a separate entity that “gives you” something. the brain is both observer and creator when dealing with imaginary images. the distinction between an imaginary and real image is that in the latter, it’s the eyes that supply the image. in the former, it is understandable that imaginary images are not as vivid or detailed as real images, because the brain now has two jobs instead of one.
secondly, brains only become better at something if they are trained for that role.and the fact is that most people are fine going through their entire lives using their brains to process real images from the eyes rather than create imaginary images to enjoy. so it should not be a surprise that people who exercise imaginary image creation a lot are going to be much more skilled at it and excel at professions that involve creative imagery for example. nobody questions the fact that athletes can perform incredible physical motions because they move a lot. untrained talent and full genetic potential are also involved, but… separate topic. if you have ever dreamed in your sleep and saw things in that dream even though your eyes were obviously not working, that’s proof that your brain can create imagery on its own.if you struggle to imagine vivid images while awake, it’s mostly because you never had a reason to train that skill. people born blind don’t dream imagery though..but again..different topic.
all of this is managed by the part of the brain known as the visual cortex. essentially half the surface of your brain is devoted to vision (real or imaginary). it’s really dope.
some people even have (trained or otherwise) developed strong connections with other parts of the brain like say the auditory cortex, and so see [imaginary images when certain sounds are perceived.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia) . there’s also some reports that the visual cortex actually also processes auditory signals. who knows..we are still learning about our brains.
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