Hypophantasia
Hypophantaisa is characterized by a low visual imagination. Hypo - meaning low. Hypophantasics, or people with hypophantasia, have described experiences almost like aphantasia, where visual imagery is completely absent. Hypophantasics may only experience flashes or struggle to create mental images. This phenomenon can extend to other senses in your imagination, such as auditory (sound), gustatory (taste), olfactory (smell) imagination, etc. Dive into stories, resources and discussions.
Absence of shared representation in the visual cortex challenges unconscious imagery in aphantasia
Scholz, C. O., Monzel, M., & Liu, J. (2025). Absence of shared representation in the visual cortex challenges unconscious imagery in aphantasia. Current Biology, 35(13), R645–R646. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2025.05.009
Can't Visualize An Apple? Try This Apple Illusion to Experience What Others See
This optical afterimage experiment allows people who can't visualize to temporarily 'see' an image that isn't there—using visual perception to demonstrate what others experience through imagination.
Are You a Visualizer or Conceptualizer? The Ball on a Table Test
The Ball on a Table experiment is a simple visualization test that reveals whether you think in pictures (visualizer) or concepts (conceptualizer). This revealing experiment, originally credited to u/Caaaarrrl, takes less than a minute but provides profound insights into how your mind processes information.
The Visualizer’s Fallacy
Understanding the hidden assumptions that lead to biases against aphantasics’ cognitive abilities.
Meta-Imagination in Aphantasia and the Language Game of Visualising with Researcher Chris Scholoz
Discover how individuals with aphantasia engage in imaginative exercises using language and how this experience differs from visualizers. Christian Scholz presents a new theoretical concept called meta-imagination.
Aphantasia....Or Is It Actually Something Else
Can a disconnect in visual processing affect your ability to create mental images? Share your experiences and insights!
Do We Become Aphantasic with Age?
Do we become more aphantasic with age? Illona Kovács joins Aphantasia Network to discuss recent findings showing vividness declines across lifespans.
Visualizing the Invisible
What do typical visualizers experience? How does my imaginative experience compare? Designer Melanie Scheer introduces a new way to visualize the visual imagination spectrum.
The Spectrum of Visual Imagination and its Relevance to Design
What do typical visualizers experience? How do hyperphantasics experience visual imagery? Melanie Scheer presents a new way to depict the visual imagination spectrum.
Do I have aphantasia, or is it something else?
Can a lack of vivid imagery coexist with some mental visualization? How do you navigate tasks that rely on mental images?
Understanding the Nuances of My Aphantasia
Do I have aphantasia or hypophantasia? Answering that seemingly simple question can be very confusing. Understanding your imaginative experience is a journey of self-discovery.
anyone else get flashes of images?
Do you experience fleeting images that appear and fade away, despite not having a visual imagination? Let's share our experiences!
Have you been able to vividly visualize temporarily?
Can anxiety unlock temporary visualization abilities? I'm curious if others have experienced something similar after a heightened emotional state.
Shocking Insights: What Electrical Stimulation Tells Us About How We Visualize
Why might your mind's eye be blind while your friend can picture crystal-clear images? Shocking insights into the known neurodifferences in imagery vividness.
History of Aphantasia
Aphantasia, the inability to voluntarily form mental images, was first described by Francis Galton in 1880 but largely remained unstudied until 2015, when Professor Adam Zeman of the University of Exeter coined the term and began his research, bringing renewed scientific and public attention to this fascinating aspect of human cognition. The concept traces back to Aristotle's "phantasia" from 340 BC, establishing a rich historical foundation for understanding individual differences in mental imagery.
Francis Galton's Breakfast Study: The Discovery of Non-Imagers (Aphantasia)
When it comes to visualizing things in the mind's eye, our experience varies widely. Francis Galton's groundbreaking Breakfast Study revealed this phenomenon over 140 years ago, fundamentally changing how we understand visual imagery and its assessment.
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