TYPE Brief Research Report

PUBLISHED 01 November 2023

DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1275942

Applied imagination
OPEN ACCESS Ed Finn 1,2,3, Carolina Torrejon Capurro 1, Michael G. Bennett 4 and
EDITED BY
Peter Aloka,
Ruth Wylie 1,5*
University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa 1
Center for Science and the Imagination, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States, 2 School for
REVIEWED BY
the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States, 3 School of Arts,
Mark Vicars, Media and Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States, 4 Institute for Experiential AI,
Victoria University, Australia Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States, 5 Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State
Grant Bollmer, University, Tempe, AZ, United States
The University of Queensland, Australia

*CORRESPONDENCE
Imagination is a fundamental human capacity, and to navigate our current global
Ruth Wylie
ruth.wylie@asu.edu challenges, we need to define and encourage the practice of imagination, or what
we term “applied imagination.” In this study, we convened a series of focus groups
RECEIVED 10August 2023
ACCEPTED 29 September 2023 or “virtual salons” to address three guiding questions: (1) How might we define
PUBLISHED 01 November 2023 imagination? (2) How might we (or should we) measure imagination? And (3) How
CITATION might we foster imagination? Our efforts to define applied imagination highlight
Finn E, Torrejon Capurro C, Bennett MG and the crucial role imagination plays in human survival and thriving, the role of
Wylie R (2023) Applied imagination.
Front. Psychol. 14:1275942.
social forces in fostering or discouraging imagination, the connection between
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1275942 imagination and faith, and the “dark side” or maladaptive aspects of imagination.
COPYRIGHT
The discussions on measuring imagination were quite divided, with some salon
© 2023 Finn, Torrejon Capurro, Bennett and participants arguing for the potential of indirect modes for measuring imaginative
Wylie. This is an open-access article distributed capacity while others argued that measuring imagination was functionally
under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution License (CC BY). The use, impossible and morally suspect. Finally, our results around fostering imagination
distribution or reproduction in other forums is suggest the importance of using play and humor, separating imaginative activities
permitted, provided the original author(s) and from the everyday, and employing constraints to prompt imaginative responses.
the copyright owner(s) are credited and that
the original publication in this journal is cited, We end with a discussion of possible directions for future research and a call to
in accordance with accepted academic create a transdisciplinary field of imagination studies.
practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is
permitted which does not comply with these
terms. KEYWORDS

imagination, applied imagination, collaborative imagination, creativity, interdisciplinary

1. Introduction
Imagination: everyone knows you need it to change the world, but nobody really knows how
it works. From antiquity to contemporary neuroscience, philosophers and researchers have
argued that imagination plays an essential role in creating mental images and simulations that
are not bounded by physical experience (Davies et al., 2011). Imagination has long been
recognized as playing a special role in learning (Dewey, 1900; Greene, 2000). In the context of
educational psychology, imagination is distinguished from creativity because it operates at the
level of phenomenology and possibility, whereas creativity is a way of “meeting academic
conventions, criteria, or constraints” (Beghetto and Schuh, 2020). But a growing contingent of
researchers have come to see imagination as playing a more significant role in consciousness, as
the system which supports our ongoing construction of a cognitive model of reality and
ourselves within that world (Pelaprat and Cole, 2011; Asma, 2017; Pollan, 2018; Pendleton-
Jullian and Brown, 2018). This paper builds on previous theoretical frameworks that distinguish
imagination as a mental capacity from creativity and innovation (Liu and Noppe-Brandon, 2009;
Beghetto and Schuh, 2020) to define imagination as a kind of cognitive ignition system for
creativity, anticipation, and resilience. Today, we celebrate imagination in young children but
often fail to foster it in formal education, and lament “failures of imagination” that lead to
catastrophic errors (Weick, 2005). Imagination is not missing or inaccessible, but rather it
becomes invisible, hidden behind monolithic structures of discourse and meaning-making that

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dominate and reinforce the status quo (Cushman, 1990; Harari, 2016). and McGonigal, among others, in framing imagination as an essential
We have no trouble imagining predatory lending, toxic politics, or tool for modeling and interpreting present reality as well as possible
other destructive, yet invented and socially constructed, aspects of futures. A second important assumption is that imagination can to
contemporary culture: the “crisis of imagination” we face is a crisis of some extent be volitionally controlled or shaped. This underwrites our
autonomous, unleashed, idiosyncratic, creative imagination. final grounding assumption: that imagination can not only be wielded
Imagination is a fundamental human capacity. Insights from consciously, but can also be exercised and strengthened like a muscle.
evolutionary biology, psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral
economics offer a framework for understanding imagination as a faculty
for modeling the external world and the self that is strongly influenced 2. Methods
by context (Byrne, 2007; Gilbert and Wilson, 2007; Seligman et al., 2016;
Asma, 2017). Related work in situated cognition and extended cognition The host of each salon was invited to convene members of their
does not generally engage directly with imagination, though these own communities, engaging a diverse range of participants across
concepts share common roots in educational philosophy (Stein, 1994; demographic groups and cultural sectors; genders; geographies/
Pendleton-Jullian and Brown, 2018). Still, this ability remains woefully regions/nations; occupations, disciplines, and fields of study and
undeveloped and oftentimes ignored in traditional educational practice; and more (See Table 1 for a description of salon hosts and
structures and professional settings. Efforts to cultivate imagination participants). These gatherings ranged from 4 to 12 participants, not
usually focus on downstream issues like field-based creativity, counting the host, and at least one research observer.
innovation, and skill-based workforce retraining (Liu and Noppe- We organized a facilitator workshop with our hosts to review the
Brandon, 2009). Meanwhile, climate chaos, sociopolitical upheavals, goals of the project, provide examples of strategies for structuring
and the burgeoning human-technology frontier confront large swaths sessions and presenting activities, and solicit their feedback. Each host
of the population with profound challenges to their identities and ways had agency to plan and offer invitations for their salon individually,
of life—our crises of imagination appear to be multiplying. As based on this shared strategic understanding of the project goals.
McGonigal (2022) and others have argued, we are not facing a lack of We encouraged hosts to align the structure, form, and timing of their
imagination, but instead a deficit in imaginative efficacy. To navigate the salons to the needs and preferences of their participants and
global challenges of the 21st century, humans will need to develop new communities. Our rationale for having each host lead the framing and
skills for planning, problem-solving, anticipation, and adaptation. invitations for their session was to broaden participation, inviting
Understanding how imagination can be fostered and deployed will people and perspectives beyond the usual circles and communities
determine how humans can survive and flourish in the future. engaged by the Center for Science and the Imagination (CSI). This
The present study addresses the question of how to define and framing builds on a body of work at CSI on the theme of collaborative
encourage the practice of imagination, or what we term “applied imagination (Finn and Wylie, 2021).
imagination.” This exploratory research seeks to lay groundwork for a new The salons were hosted in April, May, and June 2021 as virtual
framework for imagination as a fundamental cognitive capacity with the meetings through Zoom. One member of our research team attended
following characteristics: (a) a faculty for modeling perceived reality and each of the salons. The roles that our team members assumed, and the
the self that (b) can also model other scenarios and selves and (c) is intensity of their participation in the salons, varied depending on
strongly influenced by context, including situated cognition and extended context. At the beginning of each salon, the researcher present
cognition. This project was initially planned as a scholarly conference provided a brief project overview and discussed participant privacy
drawing together imagination research in psychology, cognitive science, and consent. In some cases the researcher then served as a silent
education, philosophy, and the arts and humanities. However, the observer throughout. In others, they participated actively in the
COVID-19 pandemic forced us to reimagine it by engaging existing ensuing conversation when invited by the host or when they shared
communities of practice to gather in small groups virtually and discuss expertise or identity with participants. In a few cases, the researcher
shared understandings of applied imagination. We recruited nine hosts to left the session completely after the introductory remarks.
organize virtual “salons” to convene practitioners of imagination from The salons were recorded, and audio, video, and text-chat transcripts
their own professional and creative communities. The ensuing meetings were shared with the research team. After the salon, each host submitted
allowed intimate and sustained conversations about imagination, trading a reflection document where they described their event: the group they
the scale of a larger gathering for a deeper set of insights into how convened and the communities represented by participants, the structure
individuals and small groups conceive of this faculty. of the event, and brief summaries of the participants’ perspectives on
Our inquiry was driven by three guiding questions: (1) How defining, measuring, and cultivating imagination.
might we define imagination? (2) How might we (or should we) With help from our graduate student researcher, our preliminary
measure imagination? (3) How might we foster imagination? data analysis included qualitative analysis of salon video recordings,
Each salon host was given broad latitude to choose whom to invite hosts’ reflections, and real-time observation of participants’ interactions.
and how to structure and facilitate their sessions. The key for this We coded the data based on our three central themes: (a) defining
project was not to regulate the process but to focus on diverse and imagination, (b) measuring imagination, and (c) fostering imagination.
thoughtful responses to the prompts above. During the first round of coding, we observed each salon recording and
While our experimental approach to imagination is largely noted when participants made points that aligned with one or more of
agnostic in terms of disciplinary perspectives, we did bring some our themes. We then grouped these observations in a first attempt to
grounding assumptions about what imagination is to bear. We assume identify common themes across the nine salons. In the next step,
imagination is a key element of cognition, a human potential to which we coded information from the post-salon reflection documents each
everyone has access. We draw on the work of Asma, Seligman et al., host completed. Next, we identified common themes between our

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TABLE 1 List of hosts and descriptions of the participants for each salon.

Salon host Salon participants

Claudia Alick: Cultural producer, performer, and inclusion expert noted for Black women in the United States (gender-nonbinary guests were invited but were unable to
her work at the intersection of gender, race, and ability-disability participate because of technical difficulties)

Michael G. Bennett: Scholar of technology, law, and society Artists, from a range of forms and media; participants also work as arts facilitators,
providing support or mentoring to other artists or arts organizations

Bodhisattva Chattopadhyay: Director of the CoFUTURES project and An interdisciplinary, globally diverse group of researchers and practitioners connected with
associate professor in the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental the CoFUTURES research group; participants represent disciplines ranging from literary
Languages at the University of Oslo studies, dance, and film to architecture, political science, and journalism

Fabrice Guerrier: Science fiction and fantasy author and founder of the A diverse group of activists, policy experts, social entrepreneurs, and artists/creators, all
production company Syllble living and/or working in Washington, DC

Corey S. Pressman: Anthropologist, artist, educator, and faculty member in Writers and artists with expertise in bioelectronics, Renaissance and Baroque Italian art,
the School of Nursing at the University of Portland poetry, and neuropsychology

Lisa Kay Solomon: Designer in residence at Stanford University’s d.school, Educators and facilitators working in a range of settings on issues of innovation, creativity,
with a focus on methods for futures and design thinking and agency

Laura Tohe: Emeritus professor of English at Arizona State University Community leaders, artists, and scholars representing four Indigenous nations: Diné/
Navajo, O’otham/Gila River, Nde, and Seminole Muskogee

Troy L. Wiggins: Science fiction and fantasy author, publisher of FIYAH Black artists, music producers, activists, facilitators, public servants, and educators in the
Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction, educator, and community organizer Memphis, Tennessee community

Ytasha Womack: Afrofuturist author and theorist, dancer and choreographer, A diverse group of artists, creatives, culture workers, and marketers, many of whom are
and filmmaker multi-hyphenate creators with elements of their practice in music or writing

researcher notes and the hosts’ reflections (see Section 3). Finally, Others referred to imagination as a “gift,” a skill or talent that is perhaps
building on this analysis, all members of the research team convened to unique to humans, but that requires exercise in order to use effectively
identify themes and patterns that resonated with—and/or meaningfully and rewardingly. Applying terminology from cognitive science, another
departed from—previous CSI work around our three core concepts: salon group discussed imagination as the “default network,” referring to
defining, measuring, and cultivating applied imagination. Because the the medial frontoparietal network, which is theorized to be active when
data reflected perspectives from multiple viewpoints, after coding and an individual is not focused on a specific task and refers to states such as
compiling the results, we invited the salon hosts to review our findings “wakeful rest” or “daydreaming” that are ideationally generative but not
and provide feedback or offer alternative interpretations. necessarily task- or goal-directed.
Consonant with the definition of imagination as a fundamental
capacity, several salon groups accounted for people’s different
3. Results experiences with imagination, and perceived “failures” or “lacks” of
imagination, in terms of social and cultural forces discouraging use of,
3.1. Defining imagination or engagement with, imagination. Many participants reflected that just
as imagination can be exercised and encouraged, it can be blocked or
The definitions of imagination generated in the salons reflect the discouraged in restrictive schooling or work settings, in families and
polysemy and multivalence often attributed to the term. Discussions communities, and by exhausting or oppressive societal conditions.
about defining imagination in our salons revealed that participants Participants pointed to how systemic social forces such as cultural
had strong feelings and commitments about certain aspects and bias, racism, classism, and colonization can hinder people’s access to
manifestations of imagination, and that they found it to be an essential, their imaginative resources, thereby encouraging concrete, status-quo-
if somewhat quicksilver, element of their work as artists, researchers, focused modes of thought and action that reinforce hierarchies of
organizers, leaders, and more, playing an important role in their domination and subordination. These are examples of imagination
conceptions of the self. being strongly influenced by context.

3.1.1. Imagination as fundamental capacity 3.1.2. Imagination and creativity

Participants across salons defined imagination as something The conflation of imagination and creativity is a leitmotif in
essential, a foundational aspect of cognition to which all humans have cognitive, psychological, and learning-science research on these terms
access. Several participants contended that imagination is key to and their educational, organizational, and societal applications. Some
survival—a component of resilience that enables us to escape the participants contended that our keyword for these salons, “applied
tribulations of our lived realities, and to develop ideas, competencies, imagination,” was synonymous with creativity, while others positioned
and strategies to resist or change oppressive or challenging conditions. imagination as a precursor to creativity—imagination as an activity
Some participants metaphorized imagination as a “muscle,” that generates ideas, and creativity as a subsequent activity of bringing
suggesting that imaginative capacity can be honed, providing individuals those ideas into being in the world. One participant described the
and groups with greater access to their innate imaginative resources. relationship vividly as a way of transforming one energy into another:

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creativity takes the cathexis of imagination and transmutes it into a imaginative resources. For many participants imagination is mercurial,
digital or material composition such as a poem or a piece of software. elusive, associated with the irreal and subconscious. As such, the act of
Imagination was associated more often with the ideational, the measuring imagination might be perceived as a fundamental
immaterial, the subconscious and prelingual—perhaps with the misunderstanding of its nature, or an act of investigative violence to a
numinous—whereas creativity was associated with the concrete, the cognitive feature that is understood as standing in opposition to
logistical, problem-solving, artisanal craft, and excellence in positivistic regimes of assessment and validation.
realization. As such, there might be said to be a Cartesian quality to This resistance helps to clarify the emergent definition of
the way that people make sense of the wavy, fluid distinction between imagination arising from these salons. Participants perceived efforts
these terms, in that imagination is a mental capacity while creativity to measure imagination as a form of bureaucracy, and positioned
is typically enacted through some physical medium. imagination as inimical to hierarchy, repetitive process, and
institutionalization (a challenging finding for institutions, including
3.1.3. Connections to spirituality and alternative our own, invested in attempting to foster and support imaginative
states capacity). For some participants, this bureaucratization serves to limit
Following on the numinous character of the imagination in imagination—that is, the act of calcifying imagination for purposes of
contradistinction to creativity, several salon participants defined assessment might interfere with the imaginative processes, skills, and
imagination in relation to the irreal, spirituality, and altered states of characteristics being measured. In other words, these efforts might
consciousness (modelling other scenarios and other selves). Referring fundamentally alter the context of situated cognition and extended
to a common definition of imagination from vernacular and research cognition in which imagination occurs.
literature, participants described imagination as the act of seeing, In two salons, participants explicitly connected efforts to measure
feeling, and sensing something that is not literally or materially imagination with dynamics of colonization, where measurement
present. This could refer to the mundane as well as the novel—that is, would concretize and channel energy and resources toward a limited
to memory and projection to familiar circumstances, as well as to the definition of imagination set by and serving the interests of the
speculative and the impossible. dominant group. They stressed that the study of imagination ought to
Several participants described imagination as deeply connected to be decolonized, and that our efforts to both define and measure
faith and spirituality, as well as to folklore, which was positioned as imagination need to be mindful of valuing a diversity of cultural
particularly well-attuned to expressing imaginary states and styles of contexts and knowledge systems, especially those emanating from
connection, potent imagery, and free association. One salon host Indigenous groups and communities in the Global South. One salon
speculated that these connections may provide a compelling lens to group explicitly described efforts to measure imagination as
understand organized religion as one of the most durable and potent supportive of dominant white culture—which is particularly poignant
forms of collective imagination in human history. Others connected since many participants defined imagination as a resource for survival
the imagination to dreams and dream states, especially in the types of and resilience in dehumanizing and deeply unequal social orders.
unexpected, intuitive connections and juxtapositions that are possible Participants across most of our salons were more receptive to assessing
when in an imaginative “flow” and in a dream. imagination indirectly. Modes for indirect measurement included
assessing creative or practical outputs (e.g., problem-solving tasks or
3.1.4. The dark side of imagination artwork), or measuring iteration, diversity of perspectives, and
While most accounts of imagination, in our workshops and in the number of “adjacent possible” solutions or permutations explored by
broader cultural discourse, stress its positive attributes, participants either individuals or groups working collaboratively. Others suggested
across three of our salons emphasized that imagination is not innately measuring impact by observing how interventions or texts shape
prosocial or constructive. One salon group discussed how imaginative thinking and behavior in individuals and communities.
achievements have undergirded systems of collective brutality, Among our participants, people who work as educators were most
providing rationales and cultural frames for prisons and other penal receptive to measuring imagination, because having assessments
institutions. Another focused on how particular imaginary frames can available is a key element of effective teaching and cultivating
be imposed by dominant groups upon oppressed groups, leading to imaginative practices. This underscores the importance of context in
distortions that perpetuate colonization and subordination. Yet these measurements. Measuring imagination carries many risks, but
another considered how the imagination’s connection to altered states it also has the potential to make this fundamental human capacity
of consciousness could be maladaptive and unhealthy, and how people more visible to structures of power. Questions of which incentive
living with mental illness might have negative experiences that are structures motivate measurement, how people participate in those
simultaneously imaginatively rich and ornate. regimes, and how such measurements might be used all impact the
potential efficacy and ethics of any attempt to measure imagination.
Some salon participants emphasized that imagination is not a
3.2. Resistance to measurement concrete and fixed characteristic, and that its manifestations, and
variations across cultures and contexts, are fluid, irreducibly diverse,
While our participants were enthusiastic about sharing and building and emergent. Imagination should be conceived of and evaluated as a
upon one another’s definitions of imagination, they met the question of process, and one that is socially situated and often interactive. As such,
measuring imagination with skepticism and resistance. Some believed efforts to measure and assess imagination might respond to resistance
that measuring imagination, or imaginative capacity, is functionally by focusing on evaluating the effectiveness of tools, methods, and
impossible, and others believed that the act of measurement was morally processes for unlocking imaginative capacity, rather than to quantify
suspect, and could serve to deform or curtail people’s access to their and measure, for example, the amount or intensity of imagination.

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3.3. Cultivating imagination mindfulness is more complex: several participants talked about the
importance of holding space or clearing away distractions to allow
Salon participants expressed great enthusiasm for a variety of imagination to work, including practices like meditation or engaging
strategies to cultivate imagination and foster imaginative capacity in other tasks to “take their mind off ” a problem. This raises the
among individuals and groups. interesting question of how individuals imagine or narrate their own
One strategy, expressed across several salons, is the need for sense of consciousness, and the power of imaginative storytelling in
separation from the mundane, or day-to-day routines and demands, creating or enacting the conditions for mindfulness.
in order for people to tap into their imaginative capacity. This “room
of one’s own” insight stresses the need to make time and space for
imagination. Participants identified a variety of methods to achieve 4. Discussion
this separation from the often creativity-numbing rigidity of everyday
life, including walking in nature, physical exercise, and meditation. While our participants shared a broad range of reactions to the
A related theme is the role of play and humor in cultivating theme of imagination, we have identified four key findings in the data.
imagination—again, drawing on an insight from our discussion of 1) Imagination is both important and elusive. Participation in these
defining imagination around the connection between imagination and salons spanned many different disciplines and industries, but the
the irreal and the irrational. This also dovetails with skepticism about conversations consistently identified imagination as very important to
bureaucratic and hierarchical settings as militating against people’s many people in their work, yet also hard to define. This supports our
free and full access to their imaginative resources, and emphasizes that initial framing of imagination as a fundamental cognitive capacity that
space ought to be made for divergent thinking, fun, and lines of is widely used but not always widely recognized. 2) To address this
conversation, thought, and recreation that are not directly tied to challenge, participants repeatedly defined imagination through its
specific problems or instrumental goals. absence or in opposition: imagination against hegemony, in resistance
Building on the role of humor and play, several salon groups to the status quo, or as a protean counterforce to more visible barriers.
discussed how imagination can be used to reject dominant paradigms These contextual factors play an important role in making imagination
such as capitalism and colonialism. One group likened this rejection visible. 3) The metaphor of force and counterforce, or a mechanics of
of the dominant via imagination to the idea of “Black joy,” by which imagination, guides us to another way in which imagination was
author Tracey M. Lewis-Giggetts (2022) connects experiences of joy repeatedly described: as a kind of “work” or set of practices that can
and pleasure to resilience and resistance to systemic racism. Two be honed and improved upon, even if that work is primarily mental
groups suggested that we might liberate our notions of imagination by or cognitive. 4) Discussions of imaginative practice repeatedly led to
decoupling them from the concept of “innovation” and its variations on the idea of imaginative capacity: the agency of
connotations of opening new avenues for generating wealth. Another individuals or groups of people to construct and share their own
group considered how decolonization may be a form of imagination imaginative perspectives and ideas. Imagination is therefore an
that works to reveal truths to create change. In these figurations, important vehicle for change precisely because it allows individuals to
imagination is more potent when it eschews instrumentalization. conceive of altered scenarios and altered selves.
Participants in several salons expressed the importance of constraints
in enabling people to effectively access and use their imaginations. These
constraints were positioned as helping to direct imaginative energies and 5. Conclusion
provide a basis upon which individuals might iterate and develop ideas.
Artists, especially those who create under self-imposed limits, such as Imagination is an amorphous subject to address, particularly if the
jazz musicians or poets working within the bounds of specific forms such intention is not to instrumentalize this versatile cognitive capacity. The
as haiku, are exemplary. The experimental musician Bjork could authors acknowledge the influence of our own positionalities and prior
be speaking for many artists when she says, “the less room you give me/ experiences on how we have reported these findings and how they
the more space I’ve got” (Bjork, 1997). But research in education and resonate with our own understandings of imagination, both
pedagogy (Tromp and Baer, 2022) and business management (Acar et al., theoretically and as a practical tool for creativity, resilience, and futures
2019) also lends support to the idea that something less than pure thinking. The format of these salons also sets clear limitations to the
freedom can enrich the imagination. There is a delicate tension to evidence gathered here—future research might explore different
constraints, since they can channel focus and build resilience, but also configurations of participants, considering varying conditions such as
serve as barriers or needlessly sap energy, depending on context. gender, race, ethnicity, professional practice, and prior familiarity with
other participants, and formalizing structured questions or activities
consistently across all groups. One key takeaway from our findings is
3.4. Imagination and mindfulness how difficult the cognitive capacity of imagination is to disentangle
from other capacities for action and reflection, or indeed from
One final theme that emerged in several of the salons was the consciousness itself.
relationship or overlap between mindfulness, futures thinking, and Nevertheless, the energy and conviction of these conversations is
imagination. As a critical element in foresight or anticipation, undeniable. Practitioners, scholars, and leaders of many different
imagination is a fundamental capacity for thinking ahead or stripes all agree that imagination is essential to their work, and largely
envisioning possible future scenarios, and in this way, imagination is concur that imagination can be practiced and enhanced, both
a precursor to futures thinking. The role of imagination in relation to individually and collectively.

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These results suggest several important avenues for further Author contributions
research. How do we advance the contentious question of measuring
imagination? Indirect measurements of impact and efficacy are one EF: Writing – original draft. RW: Writing – original draft. MGB:
possibility, and could build on existing measures of creativity, futures Writing – review & editing. CTC participated in data collection,
consciousness, and resilience. But any such approaches must also coding, analysis, and early drafts of the procedure and results.
contend with how to hold space for diverse practices and cultures of
imagination while still working to make this core human capacity
more visible. The relationships among imagination, spirituality, states Funding
of altered consciousness, and organized religion are all fascinating and
relatively unexplored areas for future study. The author(s) declare financial support was received for the
Looking forward, there is so much yet to learn about how the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The research
imagination works at an individual and collective level. There is exciting reported in this article was made possible in part by a grant from the
research going on in cognitive science, in psychology, in philosophy and Spencer Foundation Reference # 202100085.
the creative arts. But very few people are trying to connect these dots or
study imagination as a shared experience. The challenge we see is to
continue building the field of imagination studies, drawing on these Conflict of interest
disciplines and the manifold ways that people cultivate and deploy
imagination every day around the world. The authors declare that the research was conducted in the
absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could
be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Data availability statement
The original contributions presented in the study are included in Publisher’s note
the article/supplementary material, further inquiries can be directed
to the corresponding author. All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors
and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations,
or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product
Ethics statement that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its
manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
The studies involving humans were approved by Arizona State
University’s Institutional Review Board. The studies were conducted
in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. Author disclaimer
The participants provided their written informed consent to
participate in this study. Written informed consent was obtained from The views expressed are those of the authors and do not
the individual(s) for the publication of any potentially identifiable necessarily reflect the views of the Spencer Foundation. The authors
images or data included in this article. thank the salon hosts and participants for contributing to this research.

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