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The heart’s eye: how mental imagery influences romantic emotion

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1608874
Tags:
Emotion
Cui, B., Kong, Y., & Zhang, W. (2025). The heart’s eye: how mental imagery influences romantic emotion. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1608874

Abstract

While mental imagery—the capacity to generate perceptual-like experiences in the absence of external stimuli—has been studied in fear and other domains, its influence in romantic emotional experiences has not been directly examined. Based on this hypothesis, we investigated how imagery vividness influences romantic emotions and their physiological underpinnings.MethodsFirstly, we reviewed our previous questionnaire data. Furthermore, we compared individuals with vivid imagery and aphantasia, a condition characterized by the absence of voluntary visual imagery, using electroencephalogram (EEG) and heart rate variability (HRV) during a romantic imagery task.ResultsThose with vivid imagery showed stronger neural markers (larger P3 amplitudes, extended LPPs, reduced occipital alpha activity) and heightened autonomic arousal (increased heart rate, suppressed HRV). Aphantasic participants exhibited muted neural responses and minimal autonomic changes, reflecting weaker emotional embodiment. These findings underscore that vivid visual imagery is a crucial driver of romantic emotional intensity and duration, whereas the absence of imagery can lead to a markedly diminished emotional experience.

Authors

  • Boran Cui1
  • Yulin Kong1
  • Weibo Zhang1

How Mental Imagery Affects Romantic Feelings: A Brain and Heart Study

Study Overview

Vivid mental imagery significantly enhances romantic emotions, as shown by stronger brain activity and heart responses in individuals with high imagery ability. In contrast, those with aphantasia, who lack visual imagery, experience muted emotional responses. This research highlights how our mental images can deeply influence feelings of love and connection.
What They Did: Researchers compared 50 people at opposite ends of the imagery spectrum:
  1. 25 with vivid mental imagery (can create clear "mental movies")
  1. 25 with aphantasia (cannot visualize at all)
Participants imagined romantic scenarios (reunions, intimate moments) while researchers measured:
  • Brain activity (EEG) tracking attention and emotional processing
  • Heart responses (heart rate and heart rate variability)

Key Findings

Brain Responses:

  • Vivid imagers showed strong, sustained brain activity (large P3 and LPP waves) lasting ~800-1,000ms, indicating deep emotional engagement
  • Aphantasic individuals showed weaker, shorter responses (~600-800ms), suggesting minimal emotional processing
Vivid imagers activated visual brain regions (alpha suppression); aphantasics showed almost no visual cortex activity.

Body Responses:

  • Vivid imagers: Heart rate increased significantly (+5.2 bpm), heart rate variability dropped 30% (indicating emotional arousal—similar to actual excitement)
  • Aphantasic individuals: Minimal changes (+1.8 bpm, 10% HRV drop)—their bodies remained relatively calm

Why It Matters

Mental imagery isn't just "thinking"—for those who can visualize, it triggers real emotional and physical responses almost as powerful as actual experiences. For people with aphantasia, imagining romantic scenarios is more conceptual and detached, producing weaker emotional reactions.
The Bottom Line: The vividness of your "mind's eye" directly shapes how intensely you feel romantic emotions. Vivid imagers experience imagined romance as emotionally "real," complete with racing hearts, while aphantasic individuals process the same scenarios more abstractly with minimal bodily response. This explains why some people sustain feelings through imagination alone, while others need physical presence to maintain emotional connection.