Emotion and Mental Imagery

 More details on the project

This interdisciplinary philosophical project investigates the underexplored interaction between emotions and mental imagery. Led by Fabrice Teroni (Geneva), Bence Nanay (Antwerp), and Julien Deonna (Geneva), it challenges the traditional separation of these domains by proposing two core hypotheses: (1) mental imagery is crucial to understanding emotions, and (2) emotions are essential to understanding mental imagery.

The project is structured into two subprojects. Subproject A examines how imagery influences emotional components such as cognitive bases, evaluation, action tendencies, attention, and feelings. Subproject B explores how emotions shape the formation, content, and function of mental imagery, focusing on emotional modulation, spreading, mood congruency, and decision-making.

Though theoretical, the project is deeply informed by empirical research from psychology and neuroscience. It aims to bridge philosophical analysis with experimental findings, offering insights relevant to clinical practices like imagery-based therapies and implicit bias reduction.

The collaboration draws on the strengths of the Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences and the Centre for Philosophical Psychology. Outputs include workshops, publications, and interdisciplinary training. Ultimately, the project seeks to reshape how both philosophy and empirical sciences understand the dynamic interplay between affect and imagination.

Abstract created with AI Copilot.