Interconnected geometric shapes of a person's head in dreamy ethereal space, illustrating visual imagery.

Unlocking the Mind's Eye: How Repeated Visualisation Shapes Our Preferences

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Samir D’Costa in Mind & Education August 2025 • 5 min read.

"Dive into the fascinating world of the mere exposure effect and discover how repeatedly visualising images can significantly impact our preferences, even without external sensory input."


Have you ever wondered why you prefer certain brands, designs, or even people over others? A significant factor often lies in a psychological phenomenon known as the "mere exposure effect." This effect suggests that we tend to develop a preference for things simply because we are familiar with them. But what happens when that familiarity comes not from seeing something repeatedly in the real world, but from repeatedly visualising it in our mind?

Traditional understanding suggests that repeated exposure relies on external sensory input. We see a product advertised multiple times, hear a song frequently on the radio, or encounter a particular style repeatedly in our environment. This repetition leads to familiarity, which in turn can breed liking. But recent research is challenging this notion, suggesting that the mere exposure effect can occur even when the repeated exposure is entirely internal, driven by our own visualisations.

Imagine visualising a specific shape or pattern repeatedly. Would this mental exercise be enough to create a preference for that shape, even if you've never seen it in the real world? This intriguing question is at the heart of new studies exploring the power of visual imagery and its impact on our subconscious biases.

The Power of Visualisation: How Mental Images Shape Preference

Interconnected geometric shapes of a person's head in dreamy ethereal space, illustrating visual imagery.

A recent study published in Memory & Cognition delves into this very question, investigating whether the mere exposure effect can be triggered by internally generated visual representations – in other words, visual images. Researchers Kazuya Inoue, Yoshihiko Yagi, and Nobuya Sato explored this phenomenon through a series of experiments designed to isolate the impact of visualisation from external sensory input.

In their experiments, participants were shown a series of dots on a screen, with pairs of dots flashing sequentially to suggest the outline of an invisible polygon. Participants were asked to visualise the shape of the polygon by mentally connecting the dots. In a later phase, they were presented with numerical characters superimposed on the vertices of the invisible polygons and asked to rate their preference for the shapes.

Key findings from the study include:
  • The mere exposure effect appeared only when participants visualised the shapes in both the exposure and rating phases.
  • Sensory inputs from repeated stimuli play a minor role.
  • Consistency of processing between exposure and rating phases matters.
Interestingly, the mere exposure effect only emerged when participants visualised the shape of the polygons in both the initial exposure phase and the subsequent rating phase. This suggests that the act of constructing a mental image and repeatedly engaging with it is crucial for triggering the effect. When participants only visualised the shapes during the rating phase, or when they rated visible polygons after visualising them, the effect disappeared. This implies that the sensory inputs from external stimuli play a less significant role than previously thought, and that the consistency of processing between the exposure and rating phases is paramount.

Implications and Future Directions

This research opens up new avenues for understanding how our minds form preferences and biases. It suggests that we can influence our own liking and disliking through conscious visualisation practices. For example, if you're trying to develop a taste for a new type of food, repeatedly visualising yourself enjoying it might actually increase your chances of liking it in reality. Moreover, the study highlights the importance of consistent mental processing. To harness the power of the mere exposure effect through visualisation, it's crucial to engage in the same type of mental activity during both the exposure and evaluation phases. This could have implications for various fields, from marketing and advertising to personal development and therapy, offering new strategies for shaping attitudes and behaviours.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.3758/s13421-017-0756-6, Alternate LINK

Title: The Mere Exposure Effect For Visual Image

Subject: Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)

Journal: Memory & Cognition

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Authors: Kazuya Inoue, Yoshihiko Yagi, Nobuya Sato

Published: 2017-08-30

Everything You Need To Know

1

What is the 'mere exposure effect', and how does visualisation play a role?

The 'mere exposure effect' is a psychological phenomenon where our preference for something increases simply because we become familiar with it. Traditionally, this familiarity comes from repeated external sensory input, like seeing an advertisement multiple times. However, research now suggests that repeated internal visualisation can also lead to this effect, challenging the idea that external stimuli are always necessary.

2

How did the study by Inoue, Yagi, and Sato explore the 'mere exposure effect' using visual imagery?

The study published in *Memory & Cognition* by Kazuya Inoue, Yoshihiko Yagi, and Nobuya Sato explored whether the 'mere exposure effect' could be triggered by internally generated visual representations. Participants visualised shapes and then rated their preference for them. The researchers found that the mere-exposure effect appeared only when participants visualised the shapes in both the exposure and rating phases.

3

What was the most significant finding of the visual imagery study regarding the 'mere exposure effect'?

The key finding is that the 'mere exposure effect' occurred only when participants visualised the shapes during both the initial exposure and the rating phases. This highlights the importance of consistent mental processing, suggesting that the act of constructing and repeatedly engaging with a mental image is crucial for triggering the effect. It also diminishes the perceived importance of sensory input.

4

What are the potential implications of this 'mere exposure effect' research on shaping personal preferences and behaviors?

This research implies that we can consciously influence our preferences and biases through visualisation practices. For instance, repeatedly visualising yourself enjoying a new food might increase your likelihood of actually liking it. It also emphasizes that to leverage the 'mere exposure effect' through visualisation, the type of mental activity during exposure and evaluation must be consistent. This consistency could reshape strategies for shaping attitudes in marketing, therapy, and personal development.

5

What aspects of the 'mere exposure effect' during visualisation were not addressed in the research, and what further studies could be conducted?

The research did not specifically address the neural mechanisms underlying the 'mere exposure effect' during visualisation, leaving open questions about the specific brain regions and processes involved. Future studies could use neuroimaging techniques to explore how visualisation impacts brain activity and how these changes relate to preference formation. Further research could also look into moderating factors like individual differences in imagery vividness and cognitive styles.

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