Dreams and the imagination utilize the same “neural pathways” in the brain—this was the conclusion reached by German researchers Maren Bilzer and Merlin Monzel after surveying 226 individuals. In other words, the same mechanisms are at play when we daydream as when we are asleep. Individuals with more developed imaginations tend to experience more vivid dreams, and for those who practice lucid dreaming, their dreams are even more realistic than regular dreams.
However, emotions are significantly more intense in dreams than in the imagination, while control over sensations—particularly taste, smell, and touch—diminishes. This is because, in dreams, we are completely immersed in the experience, and the brain doesn’t analyze everything as critically as it does while awake. At the same time, vision typically becomes the primary tool for perception. Consequently, dreams are a kind of emotional theater where visual images dominate everything else.
All of this not only broadens our understanding of dreams but also unlocks new possibilities for improving our lives. The authors suggest that people can alter negative dreams and even eliminate nightmares by learning to control one’s fantasies in the waking state. Lucid dreams, in turn, provide even greater control over the dream world—allowing one to rewrite a frightening scenario and create a new plot.
How well-developed is your imagination? Can you imagine not only a picture in detail but also sounds, smells, tastes, and textures?
The article was published in April 2025 in the Vision.
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