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The Phenomenology of Offline Perception: Multisensory Profiles of Voluntary Mental Imagery and Dream Imagery

DOI: 10.3390/vision9020037
Bilzer, M., & Monzel, M. (2025). The phenomenology of offline perception: multisensory profiles of voluntary mental imagery and dream imagery. Vision, 9(2), 37. doi:10.3390/vision9020037

Abstract

Both voluntary mental imagery and dream imagery involve multisensory representations without externally present stimuli that can be categorized as offline perceptions. Due to common mechanisms, correlations between multisensory dream imagery profiles and multisensory voluntary mental imagery profiles were hypothesized. In a sample of 226 participants, correlations within the respective state of consciousness were significantly bigger than across, favouring two distinct networks. However, the association between the vividness of voluntary mental imagery and vividness of dream imagery was moderated by the frequency of dream recall and lucid dreaming, suggesting that both networks become increasingly similar when higher metacognition is involved. Additionally, the vividness of emotional and visual imagery was significantly higher for dream imagery than for voluntary mental imagery, reflecting the immersive nature of dreams and the continuity of visual dominance while being awake and asleep. In contrast, the vividness of auditory, olfactory, gustatory, and tactile imagery was higher for voluntary mental imagery, probably due to higher cognitive control while being awake. Most results were replicated four weeks later, weakening the notion of state influences. Overall, our results indicate similarities between dream imagery and voluntary mental imagery that justify a common classification as offline perception, but also highlight important differences.

Authors

  • Maren Bilzer1
  • Merlin Monzel30

What This Study Is About

Have you ever wondered if the "movie" playing in your head while you’re daydreaming is the same one that plays when you’re asleep? Researchers wanted to find out if our mental imagery—the ability to picture things in your mind—is powered by the same brain "projector" as our dreams.

How They Studied It

The researchers asked 226 people to rate the vividness (how clear or "real" a mental image feels) of their thoughts and dreams. Participants didn't just talk about pictures; they rated seven different senses, including sound, smell, and even "body feelings." They took these tests twice, a month apart, to make sure their answers were consistent. The group included everyone from people with aphantasia (a "blind mind’s eye") to those with extra-vivid imaginations.

What They Found

The study discovered that dreaming and imagining are like two different apps that sometimes share the same data:
  • Dreams are "High Definition": People’s dreams were significantly more visual and emotional than their waking imaginations.
  • Imagination is more "Hands-On": While awake, people were actually better at imagining "physical" senses like touch, taste, and smell than they were at "dreaming" them.
  • The Lucid Link: For "lucid dreamers" (people who realize they are dreaming while it's happening), waking imagination and dream imagery were much more similar. It’s as if being "aware" in a dream bridges the gap between the two systems.

What This Might Mean

This suggests that dreaming and imagining are two separate networks in the brain that overlap. This is a big deal for understanding aphantasia. Since many people who can’t visualize while awake still have vivid dreams, it suggests the brain has a "manual" mode for imagining and an "automatic" mode for dreaming. However, because this study relied on people describing their own experiences (which can be hard to put into words), we need brain scans in future studies to see these different "projectors" in action.

One Interesting Detail

The researchers found that dream emotions feel just as "real" as actual life, while imagined emotions usually feel like a "lite" version. This is why a nightmare can make your heart race for real, but just *imagining* a scary monster usually doesn't!
This summary was generated by AI and may contain errors. Always refer to the original paper for accuracy.