Einstein famously said: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”

The misuse of imagination can cause a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions that push away the present reality in favor of dreamt up scenarios and outcomes. It’s a whirlwind of emotions that breeds a chaotic mental state. More often than not I get swept up into the fury of my thoughts and their associated emotions.

You have the power, given to you by God, to control your thoughts and imagination. God designed you that way on purpose! Philippians 4: 8-9 (The Message Bible) says this about what we are to think about and imagine.

No. Without imagination, our ability to blend ideas, to see things not as they are but as they might be, is greatly hindered. If we cannot imagine new possibilities, our ability to think creatively is limited. To improve our imagination we must look to the source of our perceptions: our knowledge.

Albert Einstein once said, ‘the true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination’. It means that storing knowledge and learning the facts and formulae is not enough, but the motive of life is to think beyond the imagination.

Einstein once said imagination is more important than knowledge. It seems he was thinking well beyond his time. But there’s another skill that’s just as critical as creativity when it comes to preparing kids for an innovation economy—imagination. …

Imagination is the ability to produce and simulate novel objects, sensations, and ideas in the mind without any immediate input of the senses. Imagination helps make knowledge applicable in solving problems and is fundamental to integrating experience and the learning process.

It’s thought that imagination involves a network that helps share information across different regions of the brain. The same parts of the brain involved in understanding the world around us are involved in creating mental pictures of that world, meaning that what we imagine is shaped by what we see all the time.

The imagination represents the ability to envision the possible in all things. The imagination is something that we can educate; we can enrich this capacity in our students as they learn all aspects of the curriculum.

Imagination draws on our experiences and knowledge of the world around us and combines them with the complete unknown to make something new. It allows us to explore beyond the constraints of our environment and our reality, into a world of dreams, where creativity and invention are at their strongest.

But how do they compliment each other in learning? Our imagination changes; it is organic, and it grows as our knowledge grows. Knowledge feeds the imagination which spurs us on to new knowledge. Ultimately, this is the cycle of discovery and of learning we strive for in education.

That’s the takeaway of a new brain imaging study led by University of Colorado Boulder and Icahn School of Medicine researchers, suggesting that imagination can be a powerful tool in helping people with fear and anxiety-related disorders overcome them.

It allows you to explore the past and to imagine the future. It plays an important role in our mental health, and thanks to the imagination, we can give a positive approach to our experiences. It is a great tool for recreating and remodeling your world, your life.

Overreliance on imagination may be a sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Summary: Confusing reality with imagination and losing contact with reality are two key characteristics that could play a role in the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder, clinical researchers report.

Imagination aids in the development of social, emotional, creative, physical, lingual, and problem-solving skills in children. These are important skills to develop in early childhood, as they can be good markers for understanding a child’s overall development.

“Escapism isn’t inherently ‘bad,’ but it can lead to avoidance and the worsening of stress and anxiety. It is your brain’s way of protecting you from the distress and pain, and this is significant,” she says. “However, in order to feel better, it is often best to face this pain and distress head-on.”

Imagination fosters cognitive and social development. Everyone wants to raise children who reach their highest intellectual and social/emotional potential. Imagining, trying new ways of doing things, and experimenting help develop critical thinking in children and foster creative problem solving.

Ostroff identified several strategies teachers can adopt to encourage older students to activate their dormant imaginations.

1. Give students more control.
2. Have students track their Google searches.
3. Tell collaborative stories.
4. Try improv.
5. Introduce real-life experiences whenever possible.
6. Encourage doodling.

Ways to build your child’s imagination at home

1. Help your child to activate their imagination. Show your child that you value their imagination.
2. Ask thoughtful questions.
3. Make time for imaginative thinking and play.
4. Encourage different experiences.
5. Show your playful side and imagination.

Here are some tips that will help you jump-start your imagination muscles.

1. CHANGE YOUR SELF-PERCEPTION. Are you walking around thinking you’re not imaginative?
2. OBSERVE. For actors, writers, and artists, observing is second nature.
3. ACCESS CHILDHOOD MEMORIES.
4. OPEN TO POSSIBILITY.
5. BE CURIOUS.
6. BE PLAYFUL.
7. SPEND TIME IN NATURE.

Here are eight ways to engage your imagination, during leisure time as well as throughout your professional development.

1. Set goals.
2. Pick up a new hobby.
3. Role play at work.
4. Improvise.
5. Read a book.
6. Keep a journal.
7. Think like a child.
8. Ask more questions.

Answer by Paul King, Computational Neuroscientist, on Quora: Children have a more active imagination than adults, and young adults are less constrained by their own prior patterns of thought. As people become “good at life,” they develop habits of thought that serve them well.

Yes, you can loose imagination. It’s called neurons decay, lack of vitamins, sleep deprivation, stress, excess of polluted air and/or junkie food.

5 Benefits of Encouraging Your Child’s Imagination

• Develop social skills. As children play pretend, they explore relationships between family members, friends and co-workers and learn more about how people interact.
• Build self-confidence. Young children have very little control over their lives.
• Practice language skills.
• Work out fears.