7. The Science of Imagination: Away from the Here and Now (Part 1)

Close your eyes for a moment. Can you picture an apple? Maybe it’s red and shiny, maybe green and crisp. Now imagine if you couldn’t picture it at all. For some people, imagination comes in dazzling technicolour, while for others, it’s silent and dark. And for all of us, it’s the hidden stage on which so much of life plays out.

Whether reminiscing about the past, planning the future, or daydreaming at work, how does the brain pull off this everyday act of detachment from the here and now?

In Episode 7 - Part 1 of Leafing Through Science, neurologist Adam Zeman joins Hedi to discuss “The Shape of Things Unseen: A New Science of Imagination”. From the imaginary companions of childhood that help us understand other minds, to inner speech and music, and healthy individuals who hear voices that seem to come from outside themselves ...