Abstract
Sensory imagery, such as visual imagery, is assumed to be a universal cognitive ability. However, research on cross-cultural studies of visual imagery experiences is lacking. Moreover, most research has focused on visual imagery, as opposed to other sensory imagery. Visual imagery presents with a large degree of individual variability and includes two extreme forms, aphantasia and hyperphantasia. This study investigated sensory imagery in a multi-cultural sample. Participants (N = 636) completed the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) scale and the Plymouth Sensory Imagery Questionnaire (Psi-Q). Altogether, 5.0% of participants fell within the aphantasia range and 12.1% within the hyperphantasia range. No significant VVIQ differences were observed for gender, age, occupation, or education. VVIQ scores positively correlated with all Psi-Q imagery scales, suggesting interdependence across sensory modalities. To explore cultural differences, participants were divided into five cultural groups: (1) Western Educated Industrialized Rich & Democratic (WEIRD) (n = 89); (2) Southeast Asia (SEA, n = 121); (3) South Asia (n = 180); (4) Middle East and North Africa (MENA, n = 86), and (5) Arabian Gulf (AG, n = 43). WEIRD and SEA participants reported significantly higher levels of visual and sensory imagery than MENA and AG participants. This study contributes novel prevalence data for aphantasia and hyperphantasia in an ethnically and culturally diverse sample, emphasizing the importance of including non-WEIRD populations in research on sensory imagery.
What This Study Is About
Researchers wanted to know if the way we "see" things in our minds changes depending on our cultural background. They also looked at whether having a "blind mind’s eye" affects other mental senses, like your ability to imagine smells or sounds.
How They Studied It
The researchers gathered 636 people from all over the world and divided them into five cultural groups, including people from the Middle East, South Asia, and Western countries. Participants took online tests where they rated the vividness of their mental imagery—the ability to picture things in your mind. They didn't just test sight; they asked participants to "imagine" sounds, tastes, touches, and even smells.
What They Found
The study found that about 5% of people had aphantasia (little to no mental imagery), while 12% had hyperphantasia (imagery as vivid as real life).
The biggest surprise was that culture played a role! People from Western and Southeast Asian backgrounds reported much stronger mental images than people from the Middle East or the Arabian Gulf. The researchers also found that the senses are "team players"—if you are good at picturing a sunset, you are usually also good at "hearing" a song or "smelling" a rose in your head.
What This Might Mean
This suggests that aphantasia isn't just a Western phenomenon; it exists all over the globe. It also suggests that our environment or education might shape how we use our imagination. For example, growing up in a wide-open desert versus a busy city might change how your brain "paints" pictures.
However, we have to be careful: the study was only done in English, which might have excluded some people, and participants were recruited through social media, which can sometimes attract a specific type of person. This suggests a link between culture and imagery, but it doesn't prove that culture is the only cause.
One Interesting Detail
While most mental imagery stays the same as we age, the researchers found that older people were actually *better* at imagining smells and tastes than younger people! It’s like a mental spice rack that gets more flavorful the more life experience you have.