Aphantasia
Aphantasia is a rare condition where the individual can’t voluntarily visualize imagery. It is not considered a disorder, but rather a neurological abnormality that affects the brain without any serious health risks.
There are people who are born with aphantasia (called: congenital aphantasia) and some develop it later on. One patient (patient MX) lost his imagination following heart surgery. Because of him, scientists started investigating the brains of those who claimed to have no mental imigary. They found that these people showed decreased activity in their parietal and forntal lobe, which are linked to abstract thinking. They were also worse at remembering faces, however they were better than average at factual memory.
Psychologists use the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire, which asks you to rate different mental images, to test the strength of the mind's eye.
When asked, people with aphantasia typically answer “no image at all” to these questions:
- Conjure up an image of a friend or relative who you frequently see; how clearly can you see the contours of their face, head, shoulders and body?
- Still imagining that friend or relative, how strongly can you see the characteristic poses of their head and body?
- How well can you envision the way that friend or relative walks, the length of their step, for example?
- Rate how vivid the colours of that person's clothes look in your mind?
- Visualise a rising sun and look carefully at the details of that mental picture; how clearly do you see that sun rising above the horizon in a hazy sky?
- Imagine the sky clearing and surrounding the sun with blueness, how vivid is that image?
- Clouds appear in your sky and a lightning storm erupts - how well can you see it?
- A rainbow appears in your sky, how clearly can you make it out?
Find out more about aphantasia here:
Aphantasia: Seeing the world without a mind's eye by Tamara Alireza – TEDxGoodenoughCollege (video, 8:27): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arc1fdoMi2Y
Aphantasia: A life without mental images (video, 2:34): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp6TfNXbJ4M
What is Aphantasia? Science ABC: https://www.scienceabc.com/humans/what-is-aphantasia-definition-cure.html
Loss of imagery phenomenology with intact visuo-spatial task performance: a case of 'blind imagination' (Article about patient MX): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19733188
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share with others Chris Jones contributed on 08-08-2020 13:59
I'm 56. If I think of someone I can hear their voice in my mind. I cannot do the same with peoples faces, including close family. Never have been able to. I spoke with a friend a few years ago, who is totally blind (from childhood) I was talking about Irlens syndrome and how I learn things. She listened and said she was quite astounded, because she could relate to most of the things I said, though my eyesight is ok. I can sketch really good, but has to be what is in front of me, there and then (requires lots of constant checks and rechecks). I can draw an image ok, if it is a plan of something, in my mind. If it was of someones garden, for example, I tend to have to know the garden well, I guess from pacing around it many times, having an idea of where things are. For the first time ever (about 15 years ago) I deliberately tried to hold onto the image of a freinds face, who's house I had just left. That morning talking to my niece, it came up that my freind and her daughter did modeling work. My neice said that my friend must be very pretty. I said yes but when I tried to think what she looked like, I did not have a clue and am still the same. when I tried to hold onto the image of my freind, when leaving I just nived it fading out of my mind and after about 10 minutes had gone altogether. I recognise people as soon as I see them again. occasionally I think of a photograph, I have and it can sometimes help to give me a quick flash of how they look (sometimes) other than that I only get a very quick snippet of someones face, which I think is connected to a recollection of an emotion felt at that time. Is like a revelation of- hey, thers me mums face and then it dissappears and no idea (in my mind) what she looks like. I can describe (roughly) height, hair colour, limp etc. Women seem to think I'm ace coz I can always tell if anyone has had their hair done since I last saw them- It would be the first thing my mind is drawn to in a room. Not a major problem, usually- kind of makes me less shallow, I think, though I have to work at not overlooking at someone, which I think, now, is my mind trying to find a way to hold onto what I see. That is the same with people I know who have facial disfigerment. Looking at a face, soley, is difficult and my eyes dart rapidly back and forth between something else, but I'm guessing that has more to do with my Irlens. I have strategies that help me and am rather good at most sports, however I will trip over if focus on one thing only. I spent most of my childhood in A and E for really silly things. Am not sure if I want to change how I am. Facebook has helped a lot. Would it improve my life ? would it make me more shallow, missing the important things that makes an individual, behind the facade? Hope ok sharing.
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