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

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1608874

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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

IntroductionWhile 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.DiscussionThese 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

What This Study Is About

Researchers investigated whether the ability to "see" with the mind’s eye changes how we experience romantic love and desire. They specifically looked at how people with aphantasia—the inability to create mental images—differ from those with vivid imagery in their physical and brain responses to romantic thoughts.

How They Studied It

The study compared two groups: people with very vivid mental imagery and people with aphantasia. Participants were asked to imagine romantic scenarios, such as a cherished moment or a loved one’s face. While they did this, researchers used an EEG (a cap that measures brain waves) to track brain activity and an ECG to monitor heart rate and heart rate variability (a measure of how the nervous system reacts to emotion).

What They Found

The researchers discovered that mental imagery acts like a "spark" for emotional reactions. People with vivid imagery showed strong brain signals associated with emotional processing and attention. Their hearts also beat faster, and their nervous systems showed signs of deep emotional engagement. In contrast, people with aphantasia had much weaker brain responses and almost no change in heart rate. Even though they were thinking about the same romantic scenarios, their bodies didn't react as if they were "feeling" the moment in the same way.

What This Might Mean

This suggests that for many people, mental images are the bridge that connects a thought to a physical emotion. Without those images, a romantic memory might be experienced more as a collection of facts or ideas rather than a "visceral" feeling. However, this doesn't mean people with aphantasia don't feel love; it suggests they may process and sustain those emotions using different pathways that don't rely on the body's immediate "fight-or-flight" or "rest-and-digest" systems.

One Interesting Detail

The brain scans showed that in people with vivid imagery, the visual parts of the brain (at the back of the head) were highly active during imagination, almost as if they were looking at a real photo. In people with aphantasia, these visual areas remained quiet, suggesting the brain wasn't "re-enacting" the sight of the loved one at all.

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

Abstract

Authors

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

Abstract

Authors

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

Abstract

Authors

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

Abstract

Authors

What This Study Is About

How They Studied It

What They Found

What This Might Mean

One Interesting Detail

What This Study Is About

How They Studied It

What They Found

What This Might Mean

One Interesting Detail

Joel Pearson

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