Am I mental or are there others like me out there....???

[Starlight1984]

Firstly, I know that I have an extremely active imagination, I'm an over-thinker and also an only child so had to make scenarios up in my head a lot growing up😂

But there are some directions my brain goes in which I don't think are normal?? And I don't know whether it's actually a condition or has a name but would be keen to know if there is anyone else like this here on MN?!

I will give an example from today (which is what made me think) and see if anyone gets this!

So I was walking through the city centre earlier and passed a man on the street walking the opposite direction. He looked like he was of Middle Eastern descent, pleasant face, thick glasses, maybe late 50s / 60s... Dressed well in a long wool coat and big colourful scarf. Canvas bag across him. Very boho. Kind of a retired professor vibe?! Anyway (and here's where I might sound insane), instantly my brain kicks into creating a scenario and straight away I get a feeling of what his house looks like (lots of bookshelves, thick fabrics, big armchairs, lamps with big shades with the tassels on...). Maybe incense or a candle burning and some soft music (maybe jazz) playing on the radio. I can picture him sat in a big leather chair in the corner of the room, reading and then getting up to check on something cooking in the kitchen...

This happens a lot to me! Not with everyone I see but certain people, the sense of knowing them and their lives is really overwhelming?! I never speak to these people and I'm probably way off the mark ("retired professor" probably lives in a modern high rise apartment and actually works in tech😂) but it's so strange that it's such a strong feeling?!

But I also do the same when I walk past certain houses and can see inside, I get an instant feeling of who lives there, what they do for a living, the way the house smells, the conversations they're having whilst cooking...

Can anyone explain this? Am I just a bit of a dreamer / avid reader with a good imagination? Or has it actually got a name?!

Would be interested / love to know if anyone else is similar too!

In your shoes in general I'd keep an empty till, in previous cafes I've worked I was never allowed to keep more than £100 cash in the till.

I do this but I also do something else that I think I’m sure people in real life would think I’m mental if they knew.

I’m almost 40, I am completely fulfilled and enjoy my life. But I have several fantasy life’s that I day dream about on a regular basis. One of them has been going since I was about 16. It’s like soap opera at this point with many events and characters who come and go. I can remember the complete history of it and have invented back stories. If I am alone I sometimes even act out a bit of the dialogue I create. It’s like an extreme version of having imaginary friends.

I could never tell anyone in real life. I’d probably be sectioned!

@Imaginationweirdo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maladaptive_daydreaming

Oh wow there’s a name for it! That’s actually pretty reassuring that I’m not the only one. I bet there are some authors who do this as well!

Loads of women do this - imagination is part of our make up and we see thousands of "clues" that give us hints to the person (see also instinct). Men don't seem to do this as much - unless it's about sex.

I'm sure I've heard about research indicating people who frequently read long format text have vivid imaginations. Something to do with the storytelling and making connections.

If you’re mental, I am too because I often do this.

It’s only maladaptive if it impedes normal functioning in everyday life, though! Otherwise it’s just daydreaming.

Now horrified at all the awful things people imagine when they see me and imagine my life 😂

I don't think it's anything particularly out of the ordinary. Maybe not something most people do, but certainly something plenty of people do.

You’re a creative person, OP! I was on a course the other week that had creative in the title and I also felt as if I was the odd one out with the high level of imagination I have, so you’re not alone… As PP’s have said, get thee on a creative writing course double-quick!

My mum does this. We always skit her about making up backstories for people she hasn't met 🤣

She is a creative type too.

I don't do this exactly (and I don't know anyone who does I don't think), but I do build up a strong picture in my head of people that I've heard about but never met (e.g. DH's colleagues).

Years ago I had a colleague who used to talk about her husband Jeff a lot. So much so I felt I knew him. He was average height and build, brown hair, slightly receding, with glasses and a moustache.

One day a tall slim very blonde chap came into where we worked and asked for her. Afrer he'd left I asked who he was and she replied that was Jeff. I actually said to her 'no it wasn't he doesn't look anything like that'. She was like 'er that's my husband I know what he looks like thanks'

It's a bit different these days with social media as you often know what someone looks like before you meet them.

I think Professor Possible sounds interesting and you should write it down. See where it takes you.

The whole ad (or are there several?) makes me want to put my foot through the tv! I mean, what Natalie Portman would do for love seems to involve gamboling about in a series of nice sundresses and driving a convertible.

I want to say ‘it’s a bit mimsy, isn’t it, Natalie? A bit polite? Let me tell you what I’ve done for love — not eaten for a fortnight/ got an unwise tattoo/moved continents. You’re only an amateur.’😀

Yes OP! Not me but a friend a few years ago. We were chatting and I never forgot it as it intrigued me.
I said I can often look at someone’s face and instantly know a lot about their character and said can you? She said no, but she will often pass a person in the street and get a sense of them starting the day, what they do, where they live, what car they have etc - like a livestream of their day. Pretty much how you described it.
You are not alone! She wasn’t weird at all so I wouldn’t worry. In fact she was great company.

There’s a passage in Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall where she has her Thomas Cromwell, whose wife has been speculating about Anne Boleyn, think something like ‘Women imagine what it’s like to be someone else’ and thinks there’s something to be learned there.

Most of our customers now pay card, we have a float but other than that we pretty much take no more than £50. But we do empty on busier days (Monday is very quiet, almost pointless opening apart from a ladies book club).

Oh god, i must have quite a manly brain then 🤣 . My mother always said that I'm not " nosy " enough i just see what's in front of me

Just daydreaming as you are walking along, I would have probably been imagining he was a spy looking for his contact and later we would meet in a hotel and get involved in some conspiracy, I might even revisit it that night to seed a real dream.

Don't do it walking along a dark street at night when you see a shadow out of the corner of your eye....

I think you’re right, there are several. She jumps in the sea a bit too I suppose. Definitely amateur stuff. Remember Ross from friends - he was going to drink the fat!

This is completely normal.

Almost every man I know does this. It’s not gender-related.

I do this too, OP, and to the same extent! The sensations are real! I always thought it has to do with my bookworm literary mind, though 😉 Do you happen to love reading?

You must be surrounded by some astoundingly bland people if they think this is in any way unusual or even worthy of comment