What is it (like) to imagine an emotion?

Abstract

Abstract What does it mean to imagine an emotion? The present article introduces a typology of three different ways in which it is possible to imagine emotion. This typology allows to individuate a form of imagining emotion that has been underexplored: emotion-like imagination. Emotion-like imagination, rather than being a way of merely imagining that a certain emotional experience occurs or a form of responding emotionally to imagined representations, requires a subject to re-enact the emotional state itself so that the imagining has emotional phenomenal properties as its main content. We go on to provide a first in-depth exploration of emotion-like imagination, suggesting emotion regulation mechanisms as the empirical grounds for its cognitive realizability. Finally, we sketch how emotion-like imagination can fruitfully complement discussions of affective forecasting and empathetic understanding.