People with aphantasia experience either an inability or severely limited ability to create a mental image. To determine if you aphantasia, try picturing a familiar object or the face of somebody you know well. If you can't create a picture in your head, or if it's very difficult for you, you may have aphantasia.
Some people are born without the ability to visualize images. If counting sheep is an abstract concept, or you are unable to visualise the faces of loved ones, you could have aphantasia – a newly defined condition to describe people who are born without a “mind's eye”.
Aphantasics show elevated autism-linked traits. Aphantasia and autism linked by impaired imagination and social skills. Aphantasia (low imagery) can arise in synaesthesia (usually linked to high imagery). Aphantasic synaesthetes have more 'associator' than 'projector' traits.
Researchers have uncovered distinct differences between people who can create visual images in their mind and those without this ability. They found more proof that 'mind-blindness' is a legitimate condition.
Aphantasia is often described as a visual condition, but it's actually multisensory. People who experience a lack of mental imagery can have a reduced capacity to access other mental senses (imagining sound, movement, smell, taste, and touch). For example, I am unable to imagine most senses.
Pairwise comparisons indicated that the aphantasia group had a significantly elevated IQ compared with the hyperphantasia group (P = 0.002), but there were no other statistically significant differences.
For instance, someone with non-congenital aphantasia of a psychogenic origin may have acquired the condition as a result of trauma, with their lack of imagery being a coping mechanism, one that also causes them to forget that they ever had imagery in the first place.
There is no research to link aphantasia to other mental health conditions. But if you grew up feeling a bit 'different', then this can lead to depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Recognising you have aphantasia can be a relief, as can explaining the situation to others so they can understand you better.
Aphantasia is the inability to visualize. Otherwise known as image-free thinking. People with aphantasia don't create any pictures of familiar objects, people, or places in their mind's eye. Not for thoughts, memories, or images of the future.
Remember aphantasia is not a disorder, so it is not “diagnosed.” Researchers commonly use a validated questionnaire to rate the vividness of people's visualizations. This questionnaire can be completed online. You will be asked to rate the vividness of the images you see in your mind in response to various prompts.
Aphantasia is an inability or severely limited ability to create a mental picture in your head. To date, there's no known cure or treatments that have been proven effective, but research remains in the early stages.
Recent studies of aphantasia and its neurobehavioral correlates reveal that the majority of aphantasics, whilst unable to produce visual imagery while awake, nevertheless retain the capacity to experience rich visual dreams.
But aphantasia not only impacts people's learning experiences; it also extends into their personal lives. Not being able to visualize means never picturing the faces of family or close friends and remembering images as abstract information.
If you have aphantasia, you may be unable to visualize any type of image in your head. Aphantasia is believed to be rare, affecting an estimated 1% to 3% of the population. These individuals have no "mind's eye," or their imagination is essentially blind.
Close your eyes and describe what you see. If you don't see anything (which would exactly be the case if you have aphantasia) help your brain start seeing images. Start by gently rubbing your closed eyes like a sleepy child. Then describe the bright sparkly light that you see behind your closed retina.
Despite the differences in object detail, the location and size of objects in the drawings made by aphantasic participants were as accurate as those from participants with typical imagery. Additionally, though aphantasic participants drew fewer objects, they also made fewer mistakes.
Some people with aphantasia say the advantage is that they tend not to worry so much about the past or the future. It's almost like having no mind's eye helps you to keep a clean slate and focus on the now.
Overall, the results show that people with aphantasia have less vivid and detailed memories — particularly when it comes to visual details — and this this effect is clear whether they are asked about their experience or tested in more “objective” ways.
But Prof Zeman is certain that aphantasia is real. People often report being able to dream in pictures, and there have been reported cases of people losing the ability to think in images after a brain injury. He is adamant that aphantasia is "not a disorder" and says it may affect up to one in 50 people.
People can be born with it or they can acquire it, as reports have emerged of rare cases of sudden aphantasia following a stroke or a medical procedure.
Aphantasia, which may affect as many as 1 in 50 people, happens when your brain's visual cortex doesn't work properly. Your visual cortex is the part of your brain that processes visual information from your eyes. Scientists aren't sure what causes aphantasia.
"People with aphantasia reported a reduced ability to remember the past, imagine the future, and even dream. This suggests that visual imagery might play a key role in memory processes," explained Dawes.
"Aphantasics reported dreaming less often, and the dreams they do report seem to be less vivid and lower in sensory detail," says Prof Pearson. "This suggests that any cognitive function involving a sensory visual component - be it voluntary or involuntary - is likely to be reduced in aphantasia."
The article makes a strong case for why leaners with aphantasia are likely to experience difficulties with learning; as visual imagery seems to be especially important for reading comprehension, learning word meanings, and according to at least one theory, is a cornerstone for literacy.
“Aphantasics reported dreaming less often, and the dreams they do report seem to be less vivid and lower in sensory detail,” says Prof Pearson. What is this? “This suggests that any cognitive function involving a sensory visual component—be it voluntary or involuntary—is likely to be reduced in aphantasia.”