A Guide to the Neural Bases of Mentalizing

Mentalizing is the act of thinking about mental states, i.e., reflecting on one’s own mental states and estimating the mental states of others. This capacity plays a crucial role in daily life, and it is widely believed that our advanced mentalizing abilities may be one of the main elements that distinguish us from other animals. As such, much research in psychology, philosophy, and neuroscience has been devoted to studying this process.