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A cognitive profile of multi-sensory imagery, memory and dreaming in aphantasia

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-65705-7
Dawes, A. J., Keogh, R., Andrillon, T., & Pearson, J. (2020). A cognitive profile of multi-sensory imagery, memory and dreaming in aphantasia. Scientific Reports, 10(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-020-65705-7

Abstract

For most people, visual imagery is an innate feature of many of our internal experiences, and appears to play a critical role in supporting core cognitive processes. Some individuals, however, lack the ability to voluntarily generate visual imagery altogether – a condition termed “aphantasia”. Recent research suggests that aphantasia is a condition defined by the absence of visual imagery, rather than a lack of metacognitive awareness of internal visual imagery. Here we further illustrate a cognitive “fingerprint” of aphantasia, demonstrating that compared to control participants with imagery ability, aphantasic individuals report decreased imagery in other sensory domains, although not all report a complete lack of multi-sensory imagery. They also report less vivid and phenomenologically rich autobiographical memories and imagined future scenarios, suggesting a constructive role for visual imagery in representing episodic events. Interestingly, aphantasic individuals report fewer and qualitatively impoverished dreams compared to controls. However, spatial abilities appear unaffected, and aphantasic individuals do not appear to be considerably protected against all forms of trauma symptomatology in response to stressful life events. Collectively, these data suggest that imagery may be a normative representational tool for wider cognitive processes, highlighting the large inter-individual variability that characterises our internal mental representations.

Authors

  • Alexei Joel Dawes3
  • Rebecca Keogh15
  • Thomas Andrillon2
  • Joel Pearson30

What This Study Is About

Researchers wanted to know if having a "blind mind’s eye"—a condition called aphantasia—affects more than just your ability to see pictures in your head. They looked at whether it also changes how people remember the past, imagine the future, and experience dreams.

How They Studied It

The team compared 267 people with aphantasia to over 400 "control" participants (people who have typical mental imagery, which is the ability to picture things in the mind). Everyone completed a series of detailed surveys about their internal experiences. They answered questions about how clearly they could "hear" or "smell" things in their heads, how they remembered life events, and what their dreams were like.

What They Found

The study discovered that aphantasia is often "multi-sensory." It’s not just about missing pictures; many participants also reported a reduced ability to imagine sounds, touches, or smells.
Key findings included:
  • Memory: People with aphantasia found it harder to remember specific details of their own lives (like what happened at a past birthday) and had more trouble imagining future scenarios.
  • Dreaming: They reported having fewer and less vivid dreams.
  • Spatial Skills: Interestingly, their "spatial" imagery—the ability to understand where objects are in relation to each other—was totally fine! It’s like their brain’s GPS works perfectly, even if the "screen" is turned off.

What This Might Mean

This suggests that the "mind's eye" is a bit like a Swiss Army knife—the brain uses it for many different jobs, from remembering yesterday to dreaming at night. Because spatial skills stayed strong, the study suggests our brains have separate "filing systems" for *what* things look like versus *where* they are.
However, we have to be careful: this study relied on self-reports (people describing their own thoughts), which can be subjective. Scientists still need to use brain scans to see exactly how these differences look in action.

One Interesting Detail

While aphantasia is often called "blindness of the mind," only about 26% of the aphantasic participants reported a total lack of *all* mental senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch). For most, the "darkness" was only visual!
This summary was generated by AI and may contain errors. Always refer to the original paper for accuracy.