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The inability to voluntarily create mental images – a neurological variation affecting about 1% of the population
Imagine a red apple. Can you see it in your mind's eye? People with aphantasia see nothing – just darkness. They cannot visualize things, even though they know exactly what an apple looks like. This is aphantasia: not the absence of imagination, but a different way of thinking.
Aphantasia (from Greek 'a' = without and 'phantasia' = imagination/appearance) is the inability to voluntarily create mental images in one's mind. The term was coined in 2015 by British neurologist Adam Zeman at the University of Exeter.
“Aphantasia is the inability to voluntarily visualize mental images – a neurological variation that affects how people think, dream, remember, and learn.”
— Aphantasia Network
Mental imagery exists on a spectrum. Aphantasia is one extreme, hyperphantasia is the other.
Aphantasia
~1%
Hypophantasia
~3%
Typical
~90%
Hyperphantasia
~3-6%
The boundaries are fluid. Find out where you are on the spectrum with our VVIQ test.
Current research (2024) shows more precise numbers than previously thought:
0.9–1.2%
Strict Aphantasia
Complete absence of visual imagery
3.0–3.3%
Hypophantasia
Severely reduced imagery ability
~4%
Total
Often cited as '2-4%' – this includes hypophantasia
Wright et al. 2024, n=9,063
Although the phenomenon has been known since 1880, the term was only coined in 2015.
Francis Galton first describes the phenomenon. With his 'breakfast table experiment,' he discovers large individual differences in imagery ability.
Adam Zeman begins his research on visual imagery at the University of Exeter.
Zeman studies 'Patient MX' – a man who lost his ability to visualize after heart surgery. The case attracts attention.
Discover Magazine reports on the case. Thousands of readers come forward: They had never been able to visualize.
Zeman coins the term 'aphantasia' and publishes the first systematic study with 21 participants.
Wright et al. study over 9,000 people and determine: About 0.9-1.2% have strict aphantasia.
Present from birth. The most common form. Affected individuals often only notice it in their teens or 20s – when they accidentally learn that others can actually see images.
Develops after brain injury, stroke, surgery, or mental illness. Rarer than congenital aphantasia. Affected individuals notice the loss immediately.
Only visual imagery is affected. Inner voice, music in the head, and other senses work normally.
~74% of aphantasics
Two or more senses are affected: e.g., visual + auditory. Smells, tastes, or touches may also not be imaginable.
~26% of aphantasics
All sensory modalities are affected. Very rare. Thinking occurs purely conceptually and abstractly.
Very rare
People with aphantasia often describe their experience like this:
“When I think of a sunset, I know it's orange and red, that the sun is at the horizon. But I see nothing. It's like empty knowledge.”
— Person with aphantasia
“For years, I thought 'seeing images in your head' was just a metaphor. When I learned that other people actually see images, I was shocked.”
— Person with aphantasia
People with aphantasia can remember facts and know what things look like – they just can't see it visually in their mind's eye. Memory works differently, but it's not worse.
No. Aphantasia is a neurological variation, not a disorder or disability. There's no need for treatment – it's simply a different way the brain works.
Yes, most people with aphantasia dream visually! The difference: Dreams occur involuntarily through different brain mechanisms. Only voluntary visualization is affected.
No. Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar, has aphantasia. Creativity in aphantasics uses other channels: verbal, conceptual, haptic. Visualization is not the same as imagination.
No. About 90% of people actually see mental images – some as vivid as real seeing (hyperphantasia). Many people with aphantasia only learn late that others really do see images.
Not necessarily. Autobiographical memory may be less detailed, but factual knowledge (semantic memory) is normal. People with aphantasia develop alternative strategies.
Congenital aphantasia is not a disease and doesn't need a cure. There are no proven methods to 'train' visualization. For acquired aphantasia, research is still unclear.
The best way is a scientifically validated test like the VVIQ (Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire). Our free online test gives you certainty in 5 minutes.
Research on the neurological basis is still in its early stages, but there are initial findings:
Mental imagery may work like 'seeing backwards': Top-down signals from planning centers activate the visual cortex. In aphantasia, this signal chain seems to be interrupted.
Hippocampus and primary visual cortex correlate with VVIQ scores. Frontoparietal networks seem to play a role in imagery extremes (aphantasia/hyperphantasia).
Binocular Rivalry tests and pupil reactions show: Aphantasia is real at a sensory level – not just 'poor self-assessment'.
Aphantasia is no barrier to success – not even in creative professions:
Ed Catmull
Co-founder of Pixar
“People had conflated visualisation with creativity and imagination – they're not the same thing.”
Blake Ross
Co-creator of Firefox
Publicly reported about his aphantasia
Glen Keane
Disney Animator (The Little Mermaid, Tarzan)
Created iconic animations without inner images
Find out in 5 minutes. Our VVIQ test is the scientific gold standard for measuring visual imagery ability.