Research library

Insights into embodied cognition and mental imagery from aphantasia

Muraki, Speed and Pexman · Nature Reviews Psychology

A review of whether understanding words relies on quietly replaying sights, sounds and movements in the brain, often called simulation, and what aphantasia could reveal about it. The authors suggest such simulation may be a kind of imagery that is involuntary and unconscious, and set out studies to test whether people without voluntary imagery still show its effects. They also summarize what was known in 2023 about aphantasia, including its estimated prevalence, the value of objective tests alongside questionnaires, and dream imagery in about 60% of people with it.