As Albert Einstein once said, “I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

But is this true? According to recent research, the answer might be yes.

Up until now, our understanding of imagination has been fairly limited. But much of that is beginning to change. Rather than looking at different parts of the brain in isolation, researchers from Dartmouth found that “imagination” is actually the product of a widespread network of neurons that consciously manipulates images, symbols and ideas, and gives us the acute mental focus that we need to come up with new ideas and solutions to complex problems. What still remains a mystery, however, is what makes some people more imaginative than others.

As you look to your own lives, what do you think? Is knowledge truly limited? And if so, is imagination the answer?