Auditory Aphantasia

Auditory aphantasia is the inability to voluntarily create mental sounds, music, or voices in one's mind - sometimes called the 'silent mind' or sound-free imagination. This can manifest as a singular experience affecting only auditory imagery, or as part of multisensory aphantasia where multiple forms of mental imagery are affected. Like other forms of aphantasia, it can be present from birth (congenital) or develop later in life (acquired). Those with auditory aphantasia often process sound-related concepts more abstractly, without the internal "playback" that others experience. On this page, you’ll find research, personal stories, videos and community discussions about auditory aphantasia.

Auditory Aphantasia

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Multimodal mental comparisons in those with and without aphantasia

People with aphantasia were more accurate but slower than controls on multimodal mental comparison tasks. This suggests that sensory cognition can be successfully achieved through propositional rather than imagistic strategies.

Suggate, S. P., Milton, F., & Tree, J. (2026). Multimodal mental comparisons in those with and without aphantasia. Neuropsychologia, 222, 109373. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2026.109373

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Disturbing the sound of silence: Bilateral temporal cortex stimulation and auditory mental imagery

Stimulating the temporal cortex with hf-tRNS significantly reduced the volitional control of auditory imagery. This indicates that auditory imagery relies on active, generative neural dynamics within the temporal cortex.

Rollo, B., Malatesta, G., D’Anselmo, A., Lucafò, C., & Tommasi, L. (2026). Disturbing the sound of silence: bilateral temporal cortex stimulation and auditory mental imagery. Brain and Cognition, 192, 106378. doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2025.106378

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Varieties of aphantasia

Aphantasia is a heterogeneous condition with distinct subtypes involving voluntary imagery, sensory modalities, and spatial versus object details. This diversity suggests that monolithic definitions hinder accurate diagnosis and research.

Nanay, B. (2025). Varieties of aphantasia. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 29(11), 965–966. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2025.06.008

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“Unseen strategies” what can the experience of Aphantasia teach us about cognitive strategies in memory?

Researchers identified semantic reliance, condensed inner speech, and external recoding as key compensatory strategies in aphantasia. This shows how individuals adapt to imagery deficits by utilizing specific alternative cognitive mechanisms.

Hayes, S. J., Miles, G. E., & Evans, S.-A. (2026). “unseen strategies” what can the experience of aphantasia teach us about cognitive strategies in memory?. New Ideas in Psychology, 80, 101215. doi:/10.1016/j.newideapsych.2025.101215

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A decade of aphantasia research – and still going!

A decade of research shows aphantasia is a heterogeneous condition with five dimensions of variation, including sensory reach and spatial imagery. This suggests it is a diverse spectrum of abstract rather than experiential cognitive styles.

Zeman, A. (2025). A decade of aphantasia research – and still going!. Neuropsychologia, 219, 109278. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2025.109278

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aphantasia definition, aphantasia definitions

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Expanding Aphantasia Definition: Researchers Propose New Boundaries

Researchers expand aphantasia definition beyond "inability to visualize." This broader framework impacts how we understand and identify with the condition.

recentlyby Tom Ebeyer and

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Definition: Aphantasia

Researchers defined aphantasia as the absence of imagery and proposed specific labels for deficits across various sensory modalities. This provides a standardized framework to improve consistency in scientific research and clinical diagnosis.

Zeman, A., Monzel, M., Pearson, J., Scholz, C. O., & Simner, J. (2025). Definition: aphantasia. Cortex, 182, 212–213. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2024.07.019

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Proposal for a consistent definition of aphantasia and hyperphantasia: A response to Lambert and Sibley (2022) and Simner and Dance (2022)

Researchers propose defining aphantasia as the absence of voluntary sensory imagery across any modality. This unified terminology avoids confusing new jargon while acknowledging that imagery extremes often affect multiple senses.

Monzel, M., Mitchell, D., Macpherson, F., Pearson, J., & Zeman, A. (2022). Proposal for a consistent definition of aphantasia and hyperphantasia: a response to lambert and sibley (2022) and simner and dance (2022). Cortex, 152, 74–76. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2022.04.003

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3 Things I Learned From Having Multisensory Aphantasia That Changed My Understanding Of The World

My journey understanding the cognitive profiles of aphantasia and hyperphantasia started when I learned at age 30 that most of you have a superpower I don’t.

recentlyby Steven Levithan

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Switching The Focus From Visual Imagery

A case for studying mental imagery as a whole

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Can You Hear Music in Your Mind's Ear?

I can't. Exploring auditory aphantasia and the mysterious mind's ear.

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Think of a Horse: Describing Aphantasia

How do you describe aphantasia? Founder of Aphantasia Network often gets asked this question. His answer? Think of a horse.

recentlyby Tom Ebeyer

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