Mirror Neurons
Why watching an action helps learning, and how far that reaches.
Do mirror neurons make vision boards work?
Mirror neurons fire both when performing an action and when observing one, which is the usual explanation for why watching helps learning. Applying that specifically to self-imagery is a reasonable extension, but it is less directly evidenced than the motor-imagery research.
Source: Rizzolatti et al., 1996
Frequently asked
How solid is the mirror-neuron explanation?
The core finding is well established in primates and supported in humans. The specific claim that seeing your own face in a generated scene activates these circuits more strongly than seeing a stranger is plausible and not directly tested. We flag that rather than assert it.
What is better evidenced?
Motor imagery and future self-continuity both have more direct experimental support for behaviour change than the mirror-neuron account.