WHAT IS APHANTASIA? AND DO YOU HAVE IT?

Aphantasia is a phenomenon where people can't see things with their mind's eye. I didn't know I had it.....do you?

WHAT ON EARTH IS APHANTASIA?

When our adult children were visiting a few weeks ago we got chatting about a condition known as aphantasia. Our son, who's a mechatronic engineer, just realized that he has it (much to his horror and annoyance). I think it comes from my side of the family because my husband doesn't have it and neither does our daughter. It provoked a LOT of discussion over several days and was quite an eye opener.

So, what is aphantasia?

Verywellmind defines aphantasia as:

Aphantasia is a phenomenon in which people are unable to visualize imagery. While most people are able to conjure an image of a scene or face in their minds, people with aphantasia cannot.

So, basically it means that when I ask you to picture a beach in your mind, most people can see the water, the sand, possibly palm trees, a clear blue sky, sunshine, and maybe even a seagull. They can picture themselves walking along that beach, they can turn around and view it from different angles. Some people can even feel the warmth of the sun or smell the salt in the air.

But....somewhere between 2-5% of people can't visualize that same image at all. A further percentage can only see a vague image. And at the other end of the spectrum there are people who can vividly visualize above and beyond the normal.

THERE IS A SPECTRUM OF APHANTASIA

There are different degrees of aphantasia - from a complete blank void in your head right through to hypervisualizing. There's a simple test you can do to give you an approximate idea of where you fall on the sliding scale of the spectrum. 

The surprising thing for my family was that those who could easily mentally picture people, places, or objects, had no idea that other people couldn't. And for those of us who can't, we had no idea that we were missing out on something that most people take for granted. I can "see" images in my head but they're like vague sepia photos and I need to think hard to imagine them at all. If I try to picture a friend for instance, I don't see specific details and when I try to, I lose other details - so no face if I think about their clothes, or no distinct outfit if I'm trying to imagine their face.

A great example on the aphantasia.com site is this one of visualizing a horse:

aphantasia - visualize a horse
from: Think Of A Horse: Describing Aphantasia
When I imagine a horse, I see something around images 2 or 3. My son sees image 2, and my husband and daughter see image 6. My mum says she sees image 3 and my mother-in-law sees image 6. Those who see it as image 6 can see the horse galloping through the paddock and can even choose to ride it! Wow! It fascinates me to think that I had no idea that people saw things in their heads so clearly and realistically - and that I didn't! It leads to so many more questions.

DOES APHANTASIA HINDER YOUR WORK CHOICES?

Aphantasia doesn't seem to impact on your ability to hold a complex job, our son has a PhD in Engineering - he designs, adapts, and trouble-shoots robotic mining equipment (despite not seeing it in his head), and according to Wikipedia all these notable people have aphantasia:

  • Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar and former president of Walt Disney Animation Studios. Catmull surveyed 540 colleagues from Pixar about their mental visualization and found that the production managers tended to have stronger visualizations than the artists.
  • James Harkin, British podcaster and television writer
  • Richard Herring, British comedian and podcaster
  • Glen Keane, animator, author, and illustrator
  • Lynne Kelly, an expert and prolific writer on mnemonics and memory techniques has reported that she has aphantasia, but notes that it does not affect her personal use of memory methods, many of which rely on visual memory.
  • Mark Lawrence, fantasy author
  • Yoon Ha Lee, science fiction author
  • Derek Parfit, British philosopher. His aphantasia may have influenced his long interest in photography.
  • Blake Ross, co-creator of the web browser Mozilla Firefox. In April 2016, Ross published an essay describing his own aphantasia and his realization that not everyone experiences it. The essay gained wide circulation on social media and in a variety of news sources.
  • Michelle Sagara, fantasy author
  • Zelda Williams, American actress, director, producer and writer

READING A NOVEL WITH AND WITHOUT APHANTASIA

My daughter is an English teacher and during our discussion she realized that how her students read novels would be affected by how they see things in their mind's eye. When she reads she sees the scenes described in the book in detail and in colour, and assumed everyone else does too. Now she's re-thinking how she'll approach that aspect of her teaching knowing that some of her students may not be able to see the story in the same way.

reading a novel with or without aphantasia

I've always wondered why there was so much descriptive stuff in many novels. When I read a book I tend to skim the passages of detailed descriptions because they don't add to the story for me. I don't need four paragraphs describing a meal, or a street, or a character's appearance, or an outfit they're wearing - I don't "see" it - I know what the author's getting at, I understand the concept but I don't "see" it in my head. So, I skip on to progress the plot line, and I think that's possibly why I prefer fast paced books - less description and more action. I'm also wondering if it's why, despite loving to read and write, I've never had the slightest idea about writing a novel myself.

WHAT OTHER AREAS DOES APHANTASIA AFFECT?

This is something I've been thinking about a lot since our discussion. I have absolutely no long term recall of movies I've watched or books I've read. I can re-watch a movie and have no idea of the plot besides possibly a vague recollection of a small scene or two, yet my husband can tell me what's about to happen and even give me some of the dialogue. I can re-read a novel and not know how the story will play out. I have a few little familiar glimpses, but overall it feels like a new story to me. Is this connected to my lack of visualizing things? 

When I do the Wordle puzzle I have to write my thinking down on paper to figure out the possible choices, yet I can do a 1000 piece jigsaw - but I don't see the picture or the pieces in my head and I tend to not recall where the individual pieces are unless I specifically place them somewhere logical. I'm also not great at those 'turn the cards to match pairs' game or the 'remember what's on the tray before it's covered with a cloth' game.

I also don't daydream or get lost in my own thoughts. My husband suggested this is why I get bored on long car trips. I can't visualise something I haven't seen, and I tend to have memories that are based on photographs, rather than on clear scenes that I can replay in my head. I have very little memory of my children from when they were young (other than photos) and I can't bring things to mind - my daughter says she can see things playing in her head like a movie and change them to suit how she wants them to progress - that just blows my mind!

SO MANY QUESTIONS AND SO FEW ANSWERS

Apparently visualizing and imagining things is quite individual and it's really difficult to compare what you "see" with what someone else "sees". It's certainly given my family a lot to think about. You can train your mind to visualize more clearly but it's a very involved process. I figure that I've survived 60 years quite happily ignorant of what I was missing out on, so I can continue to go along my merry way with an unvivid mind's eye.

Close your eyes and imagine a beach.......what do you see? I'd love to hear your answer in the comments.

RELATED POSTS



Aphantasia is a phenomenon where people can't see things with their mind's eye. I didn't know I had it.....do you?

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Aphantasia is a phenomenon where people can't see things with their mind's eye. I didn't know I had it.....do you?

60 comments

  1. I couldn't wait to comment on your post when I saw it! I now know the name for what I DO NOT have...and it took me till my early 50s as a principal to know that not everyone IS like me. I am such a visual person and visualise everything with ease. In fact, almost too much. I am definitely a 6 in the horse pics. I was leading a meeting with my school admin staff and said something about "picturing this, or seeing as a goal" or similar and my school secretary said " what do you mean?" I tried to explain and then realised "I" needed to do more learning...and yes, she was very much not 'seeing' anything. I took that into consideration with more people over the years and need to remember it always. I will check out more from your blog about it. Fascinating! And I too am thinking "but Leanne loves doing those beautiful craft pages"....how does she 'visualise' these? See, I am incredibly interested!! Denyse

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    1. Hi Denyse - I just keep going over and over it and trying to figure out how the brain compensates for things it can't do. I think the collaging works because it's right in front of me and I move the pieces around IRL rather than in my head. I also discovered from one of the articles that when people count sheep to fall asleep, they actually see sheep jumping over a fence etc.....not me. My memories are seen as snapshots - ones I've taken or seen and I can't picture things I haven't seen in a photo.....but I do have the ability a little bit if there's a strong emotion attatched to it. It's SO interesting!

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  2. OMG!!! Your comments regarding remembering things from the past only through photos and being able to read a book or watch a movie that you know that you have read or seen in the past, but only remember snippets, is exactly the way my brain works. It is definitely inherited from your mum and I thought it was just age catching up with me. LOl. Mum. xx

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    1. The more I think about it all, the more stuff I realize - and it must be an inherited trait when you see it played out 50/50 in the family. I think we must be extra smart to work around such a "disability" - so kudos to us! And maybe I need to take more photos? x

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  3. Wow - I've never heard of this before. I do know though that I do not have this condition. I can visualise things perfectly and clearly. I'm very visual. It's good to know about this though because it makes me realise that not everyone is like me!

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    1. Hi Min - it really surprised me that I didn't know I was missing something that others take for granted. I think it would definitely be an asset to be able to visualize and imagine for your art - maybe that's why I'm not good at creating things that need to be "seen" inside my head before being put on paper?

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  4. Wow, it’s so amazing. I’ve never heard of this. My pictures in my mind are so vivid. They can take me to a different place especially when I use guided meditation. I wonder if any of my kindergarten students have this.

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    1. Now I'm jealous - you sound just like my daughter! I don't know how kids would know if they had it or not - I think it would need some mature understanding of what imagination really is - because you think you have good imagination until you find out you don't!!

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  5. I'm very visual & can picture most things. My daughter though doesn't so much. I never knew this until one time I was telling her about a friend who said he can't picture any scene from a book so doesn't bother reading & how I didn't know that people couldn't picture what I could. That was when she said that she pictured some but not all - although she also said that often the description went on so long she got bored before she formed a picture.

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    1. Sarah sounds like a woman after my own heart. I just don't get long descriptions. I also don't get food descriptions - but then my hairdresser told me that she can picture food and the taste and smell and her mouth actually starts watering. That just does my head in! No wonder I'm not a foodie!

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  6. How interesting Leanne. I've never heard of this word or of the condition. I find it difficult to get my head around people being able to see things differently to me. It's something I've never thought about. The horse photos are definitely a 6 for me. I'm one of those people who can see the beach seen very clearly. When reading I do see the scenes in my mind.

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    1. I didn't know that we saw things differently either - and I certainly didn't know I was missing out on technicolour movies in my head! Oh well, I guess you don't miss something too much if you never had it in the first place :)

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  7. I am like your daughter and always assumed my readers could picture the scenes in novels too; for me it's like reading a movie with lots more detail and I was surprised when two of my sons told me that's not how reading works for them either.

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    1. I can't even begin to imagine (surprise surprise) what it would be like to have a book play like a movie in my head Joanne - it just seems so strange. I bet it makes for a more interesting reading experience. I'm kind of amazed that I enjoy reading when I'm missing so much of the extra experience that others get from doing the same thing...

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  8. I am also a very visual person Leanne, and this is such an interesting topic. I'd not heard of this condition before but can see how it would impact on reading books that are overly descriptive. It is something worth knowing as we are all very different!

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    1. Hi Deb - I'm wondering if it's why I prefer YA novels over the usual novels others share on their blogs. I think YA fiction is faster paced and more straightforward (allowing for teenagers' shorter attention spans). There's so much I didn't realize until I found out about this and that I'm missing some vital component that others take for granted.

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  9. So interesting, and I really appreciate you sharing this.

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    1. I had to share it Paula because I just found the whole thing so interesting - and it has so many offshoots into different ways the brain compensates for things that it can't do - a bit like blind people processing the world differently to sighted people I suppose?

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  10. Leanne, this is an interesting post and a topic that I am not familiar with at all. I am a visual person, and to a large degree a visual learner, so I depend on descriptions, and I appreciate how imagery moves a story along in my head. Sometimes it is so vivid I can tell where a book is headed just by picturing the clues. I also think that 'picturing' possible scenarios in life helps me be more intuitive and less insecure about the future. I wonder how this condition might impact that aspect of the lives of those who have it? Are they less intuitive, more, or no effect at all. I love your posts that make me ponder. Have a great day!

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    1. Hi Suzanne - I wonder a lot of this stuff now too. I wonder if I don't appreciate the nuances of novels, photographs, food etc because they don't trigger other images in my head? I still manage to over-think and catastrophize, but I think that's more extrapolating out logical thoughts rather than picturing the situation down the track. Maybe I over-think to compensate for not being able to visualize????

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  11. Fascinating. You informed me of a condition I did not know existed. Thanks for this.

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    1. My pleasure - I didn't know it existed either and now I feel like a blind person who has just discovered that others can see things that I didn't know were visible....

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  12. Interesting topic! I never heard of that condition before. I used to be able to describe in great details a scenery, a person's face, what that person was wearing, what was said but I find that I am unable to do so now that I am older. In my case, I think it's age related even though I am only in my sixties but even when I was younger I always skip long descriptions in books.

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    1. Hi Yvonne - the condition has a sliding scale to it and I wonder if you have a bit of it that is getting more noticable now your brain doesn't want to work so hard? I read that you can do a whole lot of stuff to try to improve it, but the thought of that just makes me tired and I think I'll just keep living in my grey headspace for now. x

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  13. I had never heard of this. I don't know how I would handle not being able to imagine.

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    1. Hi Rena - I'm still coming to terms with the fact that I can't 'imagine' and I don't have all this stuff going on in my mind that others take for granted. I think of the thousands of books I've read and how different they must be for others.

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  14. Never heard of it. Sounds like something hard to measure somehow, but hope those with it get help, if they wish.

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    1. I think it's something you can work on to improve - but maybe not knowing what you're missing helps compensate for it - and maybe I'd be even more distracted if I had a movie reel playing in my head?

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  15. First of all...EEEEE! I am so happy to see you here today, Leanne. I have missed you!
    And second...I had NO IDEA this existed. Yow! (I can't shut the images off.) And I read about all the uber-creative people who have it and still lead such uber-creative lives. Fascinating!

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    1. Hi Diane - I still get the WOM feed but never get around to linking - I think I'll do it more often though - I've missed it (and you!) And maybe that's why you can write so much about your childhood - because you have visual memories of it. I have none at all, just a few general ideas, but no clear pictures at all (besides old photos).

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  16. It's so interesting. Did you read those Oliver Sacks books? You really got an insight into how complicated the brain is. I also love stories where people discover their normal isn't everyone else's normal. We really do tick around in our own 'normal'. Worth remembering that. Now a question, when you sleep, do you dream in images? I have heard of people who only dream in colours (not stories) so wondering if this is the same.

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    1. Hi Lydia - I do dream in images - but I don't think they're as bright and "real" as others describe and I also have no recall of them as soon as I'm awake. My son says he dreams quite vividly but has no recall after a minute or so of being awake. He also said he remembers movie plots but as a rough script of the dialogue and scene description, certainty nothing 'visualised'. It's all so fascinating to me.

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    2. It's really interesting. And to also discover that it's not the same for everyone. I've been wondering about all my 'things' that aren't the same for others - I just assume it's all 'normal'. But who knows? It's a bit like when people discover they're colour blind. I love those stories. #WeekendCoffeeShare

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    3. Hi Lydia - I like the colour blind analogy because it's a lot like that - when you see things and don't realize others see them so much more vividly. I feel a little bit cheated, but I also feel like I've done well to appreciate books etc without having the same 'tools' to use that others take for granted.

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  17. Fascinating. I had not heard of this before. I can visualize things, but like you, I hate reading description in book and like to move ahead to the action! Not because I can't visualize it, but I just don't think it's important to the plot. It's my Type A, get to the point personality.

    I do recall my dreams but it's taking effort - it requires me jotting things down immediately on waking. Immediately!

    Another one I heard about recently is the difference between note-taking and note-making. Note taking is jotting down exactly what it said. Note making is jotting down what you think about what is said. A friend wanted to learn to be a note maker and I never realized there were two types (I'm a note maker).

    I think the brain and how we think is and learning about fundamental differences is just fascinating. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Hi Pat - interesting about the note taking/making idea. I'll have to think about that one too. I'm more of a note taker I think - and should work on extending that. I'm probably taking notes in my head (to make up for not seeing pictures) so I could be more fluid in that area and start interpreting my thoughts more.

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  18. Hi Leanne, Thank you for sharing a fascinating post! A new word and a new concept for me. My first thought is whether there is a grey area in the definition, and then you explain this with “…the spectrum…”. I will reread and mull on this point. I cannot really visualize a house or rooms from drafting pages. Yet, I can visualize settings…people…and so on. Also, factors like how alert, motivated, interested I am in the subject plays a huge role. I wholeheartedly agree with you on how I end up with ‘many questions and few answers.’ Like I mentioned, I will play around with this new way of thinking. Training my mind gives me hope.❤️ xx

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    1. Hi Erica - I'm really bad at making a 3D image out of a 2D drawing and my mental images are definitely clearer if they have a strong emotion attached to them. When I think back, those memories associated with hurt, joy, pain, elation etc are much easier to grasp than the general every day ones. The brain is a mighty instrument indeed - and I think it's connected more to the heart than we often realize. :) x

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  19. This post sure did get lots of us talking about it Leanne. I like the learing we are all doing. I cannot do some spatial things at all & my husband is. My husband is not good with direction but I am great.

    This is why we are married!! Thank you so much for linking up your blog post for Life’s Stories this week.

    As you probably know, the last link up date here on Denyse Whelan Blogs is Monday 20 June 2022.

    I do hope to see your post there too. Of course, if you cannot link up, I so understand and want to thank you for the support of my blog and the link up over the years.

    Warm wishes, and take care.

    Denyse.

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    1. Hi Denyse - I find the differences in how we process information really interesting too. The fact that we see the world differently without realizing it is so fascinating. My husband's spatial awareness far outweighs mine and so does his reverse parking!

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  20. Hi Leanne. I can visualize a subject, but it comes and goes pretty quickly. Another words the image doesn't last long. I do consider myself a very detailed person. I love the descriptions, in the books I read. I like to feel like I'm there. That is often the best part of the book for me-where it takes place. Right now, I'm caught up in 2 series, by Hope Hollway, that take place in Florida. One series takes place on Sanibel Island, and the other in the Keys. I feel like I'm there, at that cottage, on the beach. This was such a fascinating post, that I must share to FB. xxxx Christina Daggett

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    1. Hi Christina - I have no ability at all when it comes to picturing a place I've never been to or never seen a photograph of. You could describe it to me in great detail and I'd get the gist of it, but there'd be no mental image of it. I'd probably recognize it if I ever went there, but it would be from the descriptive words - not from the image I'd have in my mind - it's such a weird thing to learn about myself.

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  21. This is fascinating, Leanne. I fall on the vague image end of the spectrum. When you tell me to close my eyes and visualize a beach, I find myself describing a beach with words, but not exactly "seeing" it. I'm no good at interior design, because I can't picture how all the elements will look together. More upsetting, I can't just summon up the faces of loved ones in detail. I have always felt guilty about that, which is weird I know, but it somehow felt like I must not be paying enough attention or something. Your post has brought me some comfort on this point. So thank you for that.

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    1. Hi Christie - you hit the nail on the head about feeling guilty that you might not have been paying enough attention and missed the details - I felt exactly the same way because I have so little in my head about the people I love. Knowing that it's because I can't do something, rather than because it's not important to me is probably why this condition resonated so deeply with me. Thanks for that insight and welcome to the club :)

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  22. I recently discovered the concepts of aphantasia and hyperphantasia. I have hyperphantasia. I hate to link drop, but I wrote a post about my hypherphantsia and how it works with synesthesia if interested. https://fishofgold.net/2022/04/29/synesthetic-hyperphantasia/

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    1. I'm quite envious of people who have either of the qualities you described in your post. I have a complete void when it comes to visualizing - and I certainly don't see colours or anything with music. It makes me feel a little clunky in comparison to people who have a super developed sense of imagery and what they can see in their heads when triggered by books, music or conversation. You're very fortunate.

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  23. Hi Leanne, This is an interesting phenomenon. When I read books, I visualize many details. How our brain works is fascinating and like you said, many questions and few answers. Thank you for linking up with #weekendcoffeeshare.

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    1. Hi Natalie - I get no pictures at all - I guess it must help when I read something gory because there's no blood and guts in my head - but I think I miss a lot of nuances that the authors go to so much trouble to include - lucky I'm in the minority.

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  24. Hi Leanne, This is a fascinating post as are all the comments about it. I've never heard the term aphantasia. I think I must be a about a 3 or maybe a 4 on good days. That must be why I take so many pictures - to help me remember. I do remember photos. My brother has always been good at remembering visually and was able to identify all makes and models of cars by the time he was five. I look at colors. That's about it and even then they are fuzzy. When you talked about descriptions, I smiled in recognition. I'm working through Charles Dickens' The Bleak House, and I highlight descriptions because I can't write them AT ALL. Now I know why. That was one of the corrections that all of my BETA readers made of my novel. I think given enough time, like you and I do jigsaw puzzles, I could logically figure out what to write. But in order to write descriptions of the town where we lived for 35 years, I had my husband drive me around and I took pictures of houses that I might have my characters living in. Isn't that crazy? I do jigsaw puzzles every day - never look at the picture - forget what it looks like even when I use my own photos. LOL Thanks for the informative post. Seventy years and now I know what's wrong with me! LOL

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    1. Wow! I'm in awe of the effort you go to for being able to describe settings for your books. I've found that I can generate vague pictures in my mind of places I've been to - or seen a lot in books/movies etc, but cannot generate a picture of somewhere described in a one off instance in a novel. Taking photos and using them as guidelines is a great idea - and would keep the continuity going for you too. Jigsaws are an interesting thing because they're visual, but maybe we do them with a different skillset to those who can see them in their head and move them around etc?

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  25. This is so interesting! I must be on the spectrum because while I *do see pictures in my imagination, they are definitely not as brilliant as that last horse photo (depending on the situation/visual, I'm maybe a 4 or 5, if I had to wager a guess). Our minds are so wild and we still have so much to learn! Thank you for this :-)

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    1. Hi Melissa - I find it interesting that it's on a sliding scale and some people see much more vividly than others - I guess it's better than an 'all or nothing' setting! I'm grateful for the snapshot images I get - it beats seeing a complete blank.

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  26. Fascinating. I think I must have some level of this because I don't remember movies at all. I can sit and watch one from beginning to end that I have seen before, and barely recognize that I have seen it. Paul and my daughters quote entire scenes of movies back and forth and it goes right over my head.
    But I must have some visualization. Sometimes locations pop into my head, and I can see them clearly. In particular, roads I have traveled. I can 'see' my loved ones but not crystal clearly. I just know that Cami has a dimple, Cady has milk chocolate brown eyes, Lucia has beautiful skin. But when I think of them, am I just thinking what I know about them or am I really 'seeing' them in my head? Hmmm. Going to take the quiz you linked and see if I can figure this out.

    You always write about the most interesting things. Thank you!!

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    1. Hi Leslie - I'm exactly the same as you with movies - and I tell myself it's a blessing because I get to re-enjoy them and be surprised by the ending every time! I have photograph type images that come to mind if I've been somewhere or I know someone - but nothing crystal clear or brightly coloured or moving. I have to think really hard to try to picture a vague image of a face - but I can describe friends/family with words - so for me it's more like seeing the world as a book rather than a movie.

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  27. This is truly fascinating, Leanne. I had no idea that such a condition existed. For a very visual person, like me, it's difficult to fathom someone not being able to visualize things! Glad to know that it doesn't hinder people from succeeding in life!

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    1. Hi Corinne - I've become a little bit jealous of people like you who can visualise so easily - it's like you have a massive extra sense that I'm missing out on!

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  28. Okay, wow, that is so interesting. I wonder if I have that...when someone asks me to imagine or picture something. I do imagine or picture what I think it would look like, but I never actually see it in my head. (like a dream). Hmmm...I need to think about this more.

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    1. Hi Kirstin - I can see a snapshot of something - especially if it's a person I know or a place I've been - but it's very vague and tenuous - so different to those who have a whole movie playing in their head when they remember something - it's a strange discovery to make!

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  29. Gabriella LaPlace3 July 2022 at 07:47

    I see absolutely nothing. Have Asperger's traits; which is not a condition anymore. It was a mild autistic condition. I don't really think that autism spectrum disorder level 1 fits me. It changed to that. I also have alexithymia, and perfect ability to tell the difference between color hues. According to Human Benchmark .com , my visual and sequential memories are terrible, and my math memory was in the 34th percentile. My reaction time and aim were also terrible. I don't know if all of that has to do with aphantasia. I'm not sure if Human benchmark is credible because I did not see scientists' names and qualifications .

    Anyway, nice article. I see absolutely nothing. I was surprised you considered yourself having aphantasia .

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    1. Hi Gabriella - you certainly have an interesting combination of traits! I think aphantasia has a spectrum to it too - some have no images at all, some have vague snapshots (like me) and some are right up the other end of the spectrum with bright coloured 'movie' type images that they can manipulate (how amazing is that?) I think that there are lots of things tied in together too - we were wondering about how empathy (being able to see yourself in another person's situation) relates to being able to create an image in your mind? And yes, sense of direction, memories, sentimentality - the connection of family memories to an object....and so much more. It's such an interesting subject.

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Thanks so much for your comment - it's where the connection begins.