Hypophantasia

Detailed Explanation

Imagine a sunrise. Some people see it almost as if it were real, others not at all. In between are people who do get an image, but only a faint, shadowy one. The term hypophantasia has been proposed for them: it describes people who report being able to generate only vague and dim visual imagery (Wright et al. 2024). Why 32? A total score of 32 is equivalent to answering “vague and dim” on every single item. Weak visual imagery is therefore typically defined in research as a VVIQ score of 32 or less (Dawes et al. 2020). The boundary between the two is a research convention, not a sharp dividing line in experience. Some studies group aphantasia and weak imagery together (Dance et al. 2022). Hypophantasia describes questionnaire scores; it is not a diagnosis. Lifelong aphantasia is not considered a disorder either (Zeman et al. 2020).

Keywords

• hypophantasia
• what is hypophantasia
• weak visual imagery
• hypophantasia VVIQ
• hypophantasia prevalence

Learn more

• Hypophantasia
• How common is aphantasia? Prevalence and research figures
• VST-16 – Visual Imagery Test

Related Terms

• AphantasiaAphantasia is the inability to voluntarily create mental images. People with aphantasia cannot visualize faces, places, or objects in their mind's eye, although they can recognize and describe them. The term was coined by neurologist Adam Zeman in 2015.
• HyperphantasiaHyperphantasia refers to the ability to form extremely vivid, photorealistic mental images. People with hyperphantasia can imagine scenes so detailed that their inner images can almost be confused with real perception.
• VVIQ (Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire)The VVIQ is a standardized questionnaire for measuring the vividness of visual imagery. It consists of 16 items where participants rate their ability to visualize on a 5-point scale.
• Mental ImagesMental images are internal visual representations that arise without external stimuli. They enable seeing objects, scenes, or people before the "mind's eye," such as when remembering, dreaming, or planning.