What Is Aphantasia?
Visual imagery is when your brain creates pictures inside your head and is a big part of how most people process information. But some people aren’t able to picture anything in their minds; this condition is called aphantasia.
This happens when your brain’s visual cortex works differently than expected. Your visual cortex is the part of your brain that processes visual information from your eyes.
Aphantasia isn’t a disease or disability. Instead, it's a characteristic that means you process information differently than most people who rely on visual images.
How common is aphantasia?
While research is limited, experts estimate aphantasia affects about 2%-4% of people. But it may be more common because people with this characteristic often don’t realize they have it.
The ability to create mental images exists on a spectrum. On one end are people with complete aphantasia, while on the other end are people who can create extra-vivid mental images. Most people are somewhere in between.
Aphantasia Causes
Scientists aren't sure what causes aphantasia. Most people with this condition are born with it and are otherwise healthy. Others develop it after a brain injury.
Is aphantasia genetic?
While we don’t know for sure, aphantasia may be genetic, which means it runs in families. People with aphantasia are likely to have a close family member who also has it.
Aphantasia and the brain
Some people lose their ability to form images in their minds after having a brain injury. This is called acquired aphantasia. Brain injuries can result from trauma such as a concussion or too little blood flow, which happens during a stroke.
Aphantasia and mental health
Rarely, people with mental health conditions such as mood disorders or depersonalization-derealization disorder struggle to picture the things they want to picture or form mental images intentionally.
Aphantasia and COVID-19
Neurological (brain) problems such as fatigue, depression, anxiety, and brain fog are common after a COVID infection. Some people may experience aphantasia, being unable to picture things in their minds the way they used to before having COVID.
There’s little science to explain the relationship between COVID and aphantasia. But scientists are continuing to learn more about the long-term effects of COVID on the brain.
Aphantasia Symptoms
When most people think of an object, such as a house, an image of a house pops into their heads. Or when you reflect on a memory, it's like watching the memory play out on a television or movie screen in your mind. This experience is sometimes described as picturing something in your “mind’s eye.”
If you have aphantasia, you may find that your thinking or imagination doesn’t involve mental images. This characteristic means you might use other senses, words, or numbers to process information and store memories.
There are varying degrees of aphantasia. You may have mental images that are dull or vague. Or you may have total aphantasia, which means you never form mental images.
Some people with aphantasia only have it when their eyes are closed. This means they’re able to picture something in their mind if they open their eyes.
Aphantasia might cause you to:
- Struggle to remember or “relive” life events
- Have a hard time imagining future or hypothetical events
- Have problems with your factual memory
- Dream less
Aphantasia Diagnosis
Aphantasia isn’t diagnosed because it isn’t a disorder or disability. But doctors can measure brain activity related to mental imagery with imaging scans such as:
- CT
- MRI
- EEG
Aphantasia test
More commonly, you can measure your visual image intensity or its absence with a simple questionnaire such as the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ). You can take this 16-question quiz anywhere — at your doctor's office or on your own. The quiz is available at no cost online.
The VVIQ presents four different scenarios and asks you to assign a number (1 to 5) to how intensely you can visualize the images presented. The highest you can score is 80. A score of 32 or less means you might have aphantasia.
If you take the quiz on your own, be sure to follow up with your doctor if you have questions or concerns about this condition affecting your life.
Is there an aphantasia cure?
There is no known cure for aphantasia. And remember, aphantasia isn’t a disease or disability. It’s just the way your mind works. Treatment isn’t necessary because most people with aphantasia don’t have problems with the unique way their brain processes information.
However, it's important for a doctor to treat or monitor the underlying cause of acquired aphantasia, such as mood disorder, brain injury, or stroke.
How Does Aphantasia Affect You?
Most people who have lifelong aphantasia first notice it when they're in their teens or twenties. That's when they realize that other people can imagine images through their “mind’s eye.”
Can people with aphantasia dream?
Aphantasia may affect how you dream. Some people with aphantasia have typical dreams, while others have dreams that are dull and vague. Others report dreaming in words, not images.
How do people with aphantasia remember?
People with this condition may have trouble remembering everyday things, such as the number of windows on a building. Most people rely on mental images to jog their memories, so those with aphantasia must use other tactics. They might instead draw on their other senses, knowledge, and memory to help them remember things.
Looking Forward
Researchers are studying aphantasia to understand how it works in different people. Since some people seem to have worse cases than others, there might be several types or subcategories of the condition.
Experts aren't sure what genetic and developmental factors cause aphantasia, or how it might affect the way people who have it think. Doctors also don't yet know of any way to treat it.
Takeaways
Aphantasia is when you can't picture things, like images or scenes, in your mind. Even without mental images, you can still think, remember, and process information in other ways, such as through sounds, numbers, or words. While it can affect memory, many people with aphantasia adjust without knowing they process information differently than most.
Aphantasia FAQs
What does someone with aphantasia see?
Someone with aphantasia sees the images and scenes of real life with their eyes the same as others. But they can’t form mental images in their minds.
Is aphantasia related to high IQ?
Some evidence shows that people with aphantasia have higher IQs than those with hyperphantasia (extra-vivid visual imagery). But there is limited research on IQ comparisons between those with and without aphantasia.
Is aphantasia a type of autism?
No. Aphantasia is a characteristic of how someone processes information, while autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder. Some research shows that people with aphantasia also have autism traits, but more research is needed to understand how these conditions are related.
Is aphantasia related to ADHD?
It’s possible for someone to have both ADHD and aphantasia. But, there’s currently no research that establishes a connection between these conditions.
