The Imagination Network Is Not the Villain
Psychology Today
Last updated: June 15, 2026
This article argues against the demonization of the brain's "default mode network" (DMN), also called the "Imagination Network." The author, a creativity researcher, contends that this network is essential for human existence, facilitating imagination, self-narration, empathy, and creativity, rather than being a mere source of rumination.
- The DMN is responsible for autobiographical memory, future imagining, perspective-taking, and idea incubation.
- Contrary to negative portrayals, the DMN enables us to connect with others and fosters empathy, serving as the "us" network as much as the "me" network.
- Rumination, often blamed on the DMN, is characterized by stuck, self-attacking loops, not true mind-wandering.
- The author critiques the idea that quieting the DMN is the goal of mindfulness, citing examples where authors demonize the network only to later praise its creative outputs.
- Mindfulness practice, while beneficial for the executive attention network, tunes the DMN, calming negativity without suppressing imagination.
- Creative cognition relies on integration between the executive attention network and the DMN.
- The author posits that the DMN is often cast as an enemy due to an underlying ideology that the self is problematic, leading to a desire for "no self."
- A well-lived life, according to the author, is not about a quiet mind but a free one, capable of flexible engagement with the present, past, and future.
