How Images Become Feelings: Mental Imagery as an Emotional Amplifier

Manuela Kirberg (Monash University)

Abstract: Mental imagery has long been theorized to amplify emotional responses to thoughts or written narratives, but causal evidence has remained elusive since most people cannot voluntarily suppress their imagery. Recent years have seen increased interest in mental imagery research, particularly through the study of imagery extremes. Aphantasia—the absence of voluntary visual imagery, a term only coined in 2015—has emerged as a naturally occurring "knockout model" that may reveal imagery's specific contribution to emotional processing.

I will review the theoretical assumptions behind the "amplification" hypothesis and survey recent empirical studies, addressing methodological challenges to determine whether the claim that mental imagery amplifies emotions is justified. Evidence from aphantasia research suggests altered emotional responding to imagined versus perceived content, with implications for understanding both everyday emotional experience and clinical phenomena such as intrusive memories. I will examine potential mechanisms underlying the nature of the relationship between imagery and emotion and consider whether dream research—where imagery occurs spontaneously with heightened emotionality—might provide complementary insights into imagery-emotion coupling.

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https://monash.zoom.us/j/86351045263?pwd=1gHMLhmDnXiFJIV0Jl8s6GxhgBgylb.1 

Meeting ID: 863 5104 5263 // Passcode: 184791