- A neuroimaging study in 2024 revealed that individuals with aphantasia show considerably less activity in the brain’s visual processing areas.
- Instead of using visual processing areas, people with aphantasia engage frontal brain regions for memory and logical thought.
- Even without visual mental images, individuals with aphantasia achieve comparable results on cognitive tests.
- The ability to be creative is still present in aphantasia, which questions the idea that mental imagery is needed for imagination.
- Research into neurodiversity indicates that aphantasia represents a cognitive structure that is different, not impaired.
Many individuals can close their eyes and imagine clear pictures, such as sunsets, familiar faces, or favorite places visited during vacations. However, for those with aphantasia, this ability to create mental images is missing, resulting in what feels like an empty space in their mind’s eye. Surprisingly, this does not imply that their brains are inactive. In reality, people who visualize without seeing utilize different neural pathways, providing an interesting insight into the variety of human thought.
What Is Aphantasia?
Aphantasia is a condition defined by a lifelong inability to intentionally form mental images. Neurologist Adam Zeman officially named this condition in 2015. Aphantasia is a distinct cognitive characteristic that influences how people recall and feel memories, picture situations, or even dream. While the name is recent in the scientific community, the experience itself has been around for a long time, and only now is it being studied in a methodical way.
People with aphantasia often comprehend visual ideas in a conceptual sense, yet they are unable to mentally recreate them. For example, they understand the appearance of a red apple—its color, form, and perhaps even the smooth feel of its skin. However, when asked to “picture” an apple with closed eyes, their mind stays visually empty.
It’s estimated that approximately 1–3% of people have aphantasia, although it might be underreported because of limited awareness (Zeman et al., 2015). Many people only realize they are different when they discover that others commonly “see” things in their minds as if they were actually looking at them.
What It’s Like to Have Aphantasia
The inner experience of someone with aphantasia can be hard for others to fully understand because it is so different from the more typical experience of clear mental imagery. The capacity for imagery varies widely, and for those at the “zero” point, the mental space is completely without images.
Rather than using mental images, people with aphantasia depend greatly on verbal descriptions, concise pieces of information, or spatial and logical thinking. Everyday experiences, like reading a book, remembering directions, or recalling childhood memories, are processed through cognitive methods that use descriptive or conceptual details instead of visual imagery.
It is similar to knowing every part of a movie script but never being able to watch the movie in your mind. This typically does not affect intellectual or emotional abilities, but it does result in a very different way of thinking. For example
- Recalling a loved one may involve thinking of personality traits or sounds remembered rather than visual characteristics.
- Finding your way in a familiar place depends on spatial directions described in words (“turn left at the hallway”) instead of a mental picture map.
Many individuals learn to adapt and even do well with this difference, and they only recognize that it is unusual when others talk about “seeing” things clearly in their minds.
Exploring Brain Activity in Aphantasia
New neuroscientific studies are showing how people with aphantasia process thoughts in a different way at the brain level. Researchers are using tools like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to see which areas of the brain become active during tasks that involve mental imagery.
In a 2024 study published in Cerebral Cortex Communications, researchers looked at brain activity in people with aphantasia while they tried to create imagined scenes. The results were remarkable: the visual cortex of the participants—especially the occipital and parietal lobes—showed much less activity compared to those with typical imagery abilities (Murphy et al., 2024).
This study supports the idea of a “silent visual cortex” in aphantasia that has been discussed for a while—meaning that activity in the parts of the brain that usually create images does not become active as expected. However, the brains of these people are not inactive. On the contrary, different areas are becoming active instead, which provides new insights into the different ways humans can think.
Thinking Without Pictures: The Cognitive Process in Action
If people with aphantasia are not using the visual parts of their brain for thinking, then what parts are they using?
The same study by Murphy and colleagues discovered that people with aphantasia had increased activity in the frontal areas of the brain, especially the regions connected to logical thought, recalling abstract memories, and thinking in words.
In other words, these people are “visualizing” by using different mental methods
- Abstract ways of representing ideas.
- Logical order or connections between objects.
- Verbal or language-based memory prompts.
This method enables people to do visualization tasks without using visual imagery. For instance, someone might picture a family picnic, not by seeing the scene in their mind, but by remembering “we were under the tall oak tree by the lake,” using spatial memory and word-based markers.
This suggests that cognitive processes are more flexible than previously understood — the mind can simulate experiences using different ways of processing information, not just visual ones.
Aphantasia Is a Difference, Not a Deficit
Although the term aphantasia might sound like it refers to a medical condition, it is important to note that it is not a disorder. Instead, it represents a type of neurodiversity.
Many studies confirm that people with aphantasia perform just as well—or even better in some cases—on tests of thinking skills and memory. One study (Keogh & Pearson, 2018) showed that even though they lack internal images, people with aphantasia performed about the same as people with imagery on tasks involving spatial reasoning and mental rotation.
In fact, some reported strengths include
- Better verbal memory.
- Excellent skills in analysis and logic.
- Strong abilities in abstract thought.
Thinking of aphantasia as a cognitive style instead of a problem encourages a more understanding view of human intelligence—one that does not depend too much on a single idea that “imagination means pictures.”
Understanding the Role of the Visual Cortex
The visual cortex, found in the occipital lobe at the back of the brain, usually has a significant role in creating mental images. In people who have strong visual imagination, this area shows strong activity, even when there is no visual information coming in.
However, in cases of aphantasia, there is evidence of a lack of connection between the intention to visualize and the activity of this visual cortex—a problem in what is known as “top-down processing.”
Top-down processing refers to how higher-level brain areas (like the frontal cortex) send signals to sensory areas (like the visual cortex) to create a simulated experience. In aphantasia, this signal does not properly reach its target, resulting in a way of thinking that is without images.
This does not mean that the visual cortex is damaged or not developed enough. Instead, it means that the neural pathways for communication are not completing the connection needed to produce visual mental content. A deeper understanding of this process could have important effects on neuroplasticity and how the brain adapts to different cognitive styles.
What It Means to Visualize Without Seeing
The idea of visualizing without real visual images might seem contradictory, but it is a very real experience. Instead of creating pictures in their minds, people with aphantasia use conceptual ways of representing things.
Consider the example of imagining a dog. Instead of a mental picture, someone with aphantasia might
- Think: “Has fur. Four legs. Barks. Has a tail.”
- Remember: “Our neighbor’s dog is a beagle. It’s brown and white. It sniffs a lot.”
- Describe how it moves or its personality instead of visual features.
Some people might even use spatial comparisons, remembering “where” something is in a memory or in the real world, rather than “what” it looked like.
This “non-visual visualization” shows the brain’s amazing ability to adapt. Just as people who are blind can develop spatial awareness through sound and touch, people with aphantasia can create detailed mental structures using logic and language.
Can Aphantasia Affect Creativity?
A common question is whether aphantasia limits creativity—especially in fields like art, architecture, or writing stories, where imagination is often thought of as visual.
However, creativity, as studies increasingly indicate, does not depend only on visual imagery. Instead, it works as a wider function of
- Recognizing patterns.
- Thinking by association.
- Logical thinking without concrete examples.
- Understanding emotions deeply.
Many artists, writers, and engineers with aphantasia have used their non-visual thought processes to inspire original ideas. Past interviews and examples have pointed out musicians who write whole symphonies or programmers who create complex algorithms without using mental pictures.
Therefore, creative work can come from different kinds of internal structures—image-based, word-based, pattern-based—showing that imagination is more complex than it appears.
Comparing Imagery in Aphantasic and Typical Brains
Progress in brain imaging has made it possible to understand the mental methods linked to different levels of imagery ability. People who visualize clearly activate brain areas that are almost the same as those used when actually seeing. The visual cortex becomes active, similar to the patterns seen when looking at real things.
However, people with aphantasia show very little visual cortex activity under the same conditions. Instead, activity is concentrated in non-visual areas, suggesting that completely different methods are being used.
This significant difference shows how varied internal experiences can be, even when people say they are doing the same task. It supports the point made earlier: not everyone thinks or imagines in the same way—and that is completely normal.
How Is Aphantasia Diagnosed or Studied?
Clinical and research methods to assess aphantasia are developing quickly. At present, the most commonly used tool is the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ), which is a survey where people rate their own visualization abilities in different situations.
However, this self-reported measure can be influenced by personal understanding. To provide more objective support, researchers are now using
- fMRI scans to observe brain activity in real-time.
- Eye-tracking while doing visual memory recall tasks.
- Analyses of resting-state connectivity to study typical neural communication patterns.
This combined approach makes sure that there is a more complete assessment of what is happening not only in a person’s own mind but also in their brain structure.
Aphantasia’s Impact on Memory and Emotion
Aphantasia can affect how people create and remember personal memories. People with strong imagery often vividly re-experience past events, with sensory details and emotional feelings. For people with aphantasia, memories might seem less rich in feeling or more based on facts.
A study in 2020 (Zeman et al., 2020) reported that people with aphantasia had less emotionally strong memory recall. Dreams were also less common or did not have rich visual content. These effects on emotions and memory might suggest the role that visual imagery has in processing emotions and recalling memories.
This opens possibilities for looking into therapies—can memory processing exercises be changed for people who don’t use imagery in order to increase emotional connection?
Challenging Assumptions About How Minds Work
In the end, aphantasia makes researchers, educators, and the general public question general assumptions about human thought. For many years, visualization was considered a common mental ability—something everyone could and should use. However, this idea left out a group of people whose inner experience is very different.
This change in viewpoint highlights
- The importance of mental diversity rather than everyone functioning the same way.
- New teaching approaches designed for different learning styles.
- More acceptance for people who think without visuals in all kinds of jobs.
The variety in mental imagery is not a problem to be fixed, but a valuable area to understand—and accept.
Mental Health and Educational Implications
Mental health treatments and teaching methods often depend on internal visualization, which can make people with aphantasia feel separate or excluded. Examples include
- Guided meditation that asks you to “picture a peaceful beach.”
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) that asks patients to “see themselves being successful.”
Therapists, teachers, and coaches need to understand that not everyone “sees” images and should offer other options
- Use comparisons or analogies.
- Use memory related to touch or hearing.
- Focus on processing information verbally or using symbols.
Changing these methods to fit different needs does not lessen their effectiveness—it makes them more widely useful.
What’s Next in Aphantasia Research?
As technology improves, so will our understanding of the differences in the brain related to mental imagery. Future studies might concentrate on
- Creating detailed maps (connectomes) to show the paths of signals in the cortex.
- Studying the genetic basis of aphantasia.
- Examining how aphantasia relates to other neurodevelopmental conditions like autism or synesthesia.
The increasing interest in cognitive diversity will probably lead to new discoveries in neuroscience, psychology, and education. Aphantasia is no longer just something interesting; it is becoming an important part of the wider understanding of human thought.
Learning about how some people visualize without actually seeing challenges our ideas about what imagination is and has shown many ways that the brain can be creative. The fact that two brains can do the same thing in completely different ways is a strong reminder that there is no single correct way to think, imagine, or remember.
Citations
- Murphy, C., Gilboa, A., Bainbridge, W. A., & Pearson, J. (2024). Distinct neural activation patterns in individuals with aphantasia during scene construction tasks. Cerebral Cortex Communications. https://doi.org/10.1093/texcom/tgad009
- Zeman, A., Dewar, M., & Della Sala, S. (2015). Lives without imagery – Congenital aphantasia. Cortex, 73, 378–380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2015.05.019
- Keogh, R., & Pearson, J. (2018). The blind mind: No sensory visual imagery in aphantasia. Cortex, 105, 53–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2017.10.012
- Zeman, A., Milton, F., Della Sala, S., & Dewar, M. (2020). Reflections on aphantasia: Commentary on the evolution of imagery science. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 24(12), 940–942. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2020.09.010
