An international estimate of the prevalence of differing visual imagery abilities
Wright, D. J., Scott, M. W., Kraeutner, S. N., Barhoun, P., Bertollo, M., Campbell, M. J., Waltzing, B. M., Dahm, S. F., Esselaar, M., Frank, C., Hardwick, R. M., Fuelscher, I., Marshall, B., Hodges, N. J., Hyde, C., & Holmes, P. S. (2024). An international estimate of the prevalence of differing visual imagery abilities. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1454107
Abstract
The aim of this research was to establish prevalence estimates for aphantasia, hypophantasia, typical imagery ability, and hyperphantasia in a large multi-national cohort. In Study 1, the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire was completed by 3,049 participants. Results indicated prevalence estimates of 1.2% for aphantasia, 3% for hypophantasia, 89.9% for typical imagery ability, and 5.9% for hyperphantasia. In Study 2, to replicate these findings in a larger sample, the Study 1 data were combined with openly available data from previous prevalence studies to create a total sample of 9,063 participants. Re-analysis of this data confirmed prevalence estimates of 0.9% for aphantasia, 3.3% for hypophantasia, 89.7% for typical imagery ability, and 6.1% for hyperphantasia. These robust and up-to-date estimates provide enhanced clarity to researchers regarding the prevalence of differing visual imagery abilities and provide a platform for future studies exploring the role of visual imagery in various cognitive and behavioral tasks.
What This Study Is About
Researchers wanted to find out exactly how common it is to have a "blind mind’s eye"—known as aphantasia—or "super-vivid" mental pictures, known as hyperphantasia. They looked at thousands of people globally to see if these traits change depending on where you live, your age, or your gender.
How They Studied It
This was a massive project involving over 9,000 participants from around the world. To get such a big number, researchers combined their own new study of 3,049 people with data from previous large-scale projects.
Participants took a famous test called the VVIQ (Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire). This test asks you to imagine specific scenes—like a rising sun or a friend’s face—and rate the "picture" in your head on a scale from "no image at all" to "as vivid as real life."
What They Found
The study revealed that human imagination is a wide spectrum:
- Aphantasia: About 0.9% of people (nearly 1 in 100) see no mental images at all.
- Hypophantasia: About 3.3% have very dim or vague mental images.
- Hyperphantasia: About 6.1% (roughly 1 in 16) have mental images so clear they feel like real life.
- Typical Imagery: The vast majority (about 90%) fall somewhere in the middle.
Interestingly, it didn't matter if a participant was from Europe, Asia, or North America—the percentages stayed roughly the same!
What This Might Mean
This suggests that mental imagery—the ability to picture things in your mind—is a fundamental human trait that varies naturally, just like height or eye color.
The researchers point out that because about 4% of people (1 in 25) struggle to create mental images, common activities like "visualization" in sports or "picturing a happy place" in therapy might not work for everyone. However, we must be careful: this study relied on "self-reporting," which means it's based on how people *describe* their own thoughts. Since we can't look inside someone else's head yet, we have to trust their descriptions.
One Interesting Detail
The study found that about 1 in every 25 people you meet likely has a "dim" or "blind" mind's eye—meaning in an average school classroom, there is almost certainly at least one student who can't "see" the things the teacher is describing!