Imagine this: simply picturing a positive interaction with someone, even if it’s entirely fictional, could actually make you like them more in real life. Sounds too good to be true, right? But here’s where it gets fascinating: new research reveals that our brains don’t just think about these imagined moments—they process them as if they were real experiences. And this is the part most people miss—it’s not just about feelings; it’s about rewiring how we store memories of others.
In a groundbreaking study published on December 10, 2025, in Nature Communications (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-66396-2), researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder and the Max Planck Institute in Germany uncovered this surprising phenomenon. They recruited 50 adults and asked them to rate how much they liked 30 people they knew. Inside an MRI scanner, participants were shown names of individuals they felt neutral about and instructed to imagine either a positive or negative encounter with each person—for just eight seconds.
The results? Participants reported liking the people they’d imagined positive experiences with significantly more. But here’s the controversial part: brain scans revealed that the ventral striatum, a reward-related brain region, lit up during these positive imaginings. This activity then linked to the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, the area responsible for storing memories about specific people. Essentially, the brain treated these imagined interactions as real, shaping both emotions and memory.
“We can learn from imagined experiences, and the brain processes them much like real ones,” explained senior author Roland Benoit (https://www.colorado.edu/psych-neuro/roland-benoit), associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at CU Boulder. This finding isn’t just a scientific curiosity—it has practical implications. For instance, visualizing a positive conversation with a coworker could make real-life interactions smoother. Athletes and musicians might use this technique to improve performance by mentally rehearsing success.
But here’s the flip side: imagination isn’t always a tool for good. People with anxiety or depression often default to imagining negative outcomes, which can deepen their struggles. As Benoit pointed out, “You can paint the world black just by imagining it.” This raises a thought-provoking question: Could we inadvertently harm ourselves by dwelling on negative scenarios?
First author Aroma Dabas (https://www.cbs.mpg.de/person/59230/2482), who conducted the research at the Max Planck Institute, added, “This explains how vividly imagining future scenarios can influence our motivation, avoidance tendencies, and choices.” It’s a powerful reminder that our thoughts—even the imaginary ones—have real-world consequences.
So, what does this mean for you? If you’re facing a stressful situation, taking a moment to mentally rehearse a positive outcome could shift how you feel and respond. But it also invites a deeper question: How much control do we truly have over our thoughts, and how can we harness this power without falling into negative patterns? Let’s discuss—do you think the benefits of positive imagining outweigh the risks of negative spirals? Share your thoughts in the comments!
