Why does our mind create pictures of people we've never seen?

Question

This happens all the time when we're reading fictiton, but then the writer often helps us along with a description of the characters. But lots of times, I will talk to people on the phone or email with them a number of times before actually meeting them in person. Especially if I've been talking to them, I'll start to form a mental image - not because I'm trying to, it just seems to happen. Invariably, when I finally meet them I'm shocked because they look nothing like I imagined. So why does the brain find it necessary to create the picture?

Answer 1

We are deeply visual beings.
Consider how what we see can affect us.
A meal can look delicious.
The sight of a person pleasantly formed in face and/or figure can stimulate sexual interest.
A child's smile can touch the heart.
The beauties of art and nature can reach the soul.
And images of pain and desperation can induce anger, digust, and sympathy.
So much of our perception and response is bound up in what we see.

Our thoughts almost beg us to assign visual images to our experiences, to give them fullness in our minds and cement them in our brains.
And when we have no vision before our eyes, we create one.

Answer 2

Ah, this is the fallacy between fantasy and reality. We have a need to internalize things. We read or hear something and we have the need to complete the picture, so to speak. We create an image of things based on our experiences. Have you ever heard someones voice and had a vision of what they looked like? It's the fantasy, but anything short of your vision(we all do it)is a let down. reality rarely matched our expectations.
This is the problem people have when they meet their idols. They read so much about them and listen to them in interviews or in songs or movies and in their minds, they complete the person. They imagine what these idols like and what a meeting would be like. When they actually meet the person, they are nothing like the image that was created. We have this need to fill in the blanks about things that we don't know. You do it with food when you order. You read the description and imagine what the food will actually taste like. The more experience you have with food, the more likely your fantasy will match the reality.
This is why publicists get paid because they put things out to help fuel your fantasies. Marketing is all about creating a fantasy, but not too good so that the reality is a disappointment.

Answer 3

Even though we may not mean to, the first thing we notice about people is their appearance. Think about it. For example, if we are attracted to some one, it is because of their appearance, not their voice, personality, intelligence . . . We do not know those things about a person at first. You can't look at a person and know those things.

When you hear a voice, or learn any of the other things about some one before you see them, your mind automatically tries to reverse the process. It attempts to give an appearance. Like you said, not because we necessarily want to, but it is just the way that our mind processes things. It has to give more dimensions to the person. In business, when dealing with sales people on the phone who come across in a good way, I have done this and been wrong. One salesperson I dealt with a few years ago, was really charming. He had an excellent phone voice and he was well-trained in his job. The more I talked to him, the more attractive I thought he was. He came to the state that I lived in. When I met him, he was nothing like that. He was a total nuisance.

I just think our mind has to put a face with a voice or an image that we get to know that we haven't ever seen. We start out with the other things that we normally do not know first about a person to draw our own conclusions.

Answer 4

I do that with the radio personalities on NPR and the few I've seen pictures of really don't look anything like I imagined. I think our mind is just trying to fill in the blanks because we're curious and prefer to have a face to the names and personalities.

Answer 5

Inspiration !??
Creative Power !?
Imagination ?

Sometimes if I close my eyes (only for relaxing, concentrating or sleeping --- NOT FOR EVER !!!) after I have read a chapter
of an interesting book, I see the ideal faces and places
WITH MY INNER EYE ... Sorry, sounds nuts, but it happens ...

And the other day I see that story on the Big Screen ---
and I am getting angry, because I do not like what I see.


Aaron.

Answer 6

Merely as a means of clarification. Our minds always want to have a visual to go with any type of thought process. Just like anything else, our minds constantly seek knowledge. Having said that, with any lack thereof, our imagination kicks in to make up the difference.

Answer 7

i imagine a good number of has to do with our fantasies, and emotions as an celebration shall we desire a close pal right now and by arising one our thoughts will create one. And why particular they appear to be the photo my thoughts has conjured up, merely verify out Jessica Simpson for sure I easily have in no way suggested her in human being lol. yet no they in no way look like what my thoughts has conjured up.

Answer 8

Your probably a visual person so you easly create mental representations of people based on what they say or sound. I'm more visual than auditory and i do this but they dont look like what I envision.

Answer 9

I don't know why our minds do that but I do know exactly what you are talking about. I think that our minds form these faces by taking actual faces from people we know who have demonstrated some of the personality and voice traits of those of whom we read about or of those to whom we have spoken.