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Topic: Auditory Aphantasia

Aphantasia, commonly understood as the inability to visualize, extends beyond just the visual realm; it can affect various sensory experiences in one’s imagination. This phenomenon includes auditory aphantasia, sometimes referred to as Anauralia or the ‘silent mind,’ which is characterized by a complete absence of auditory imagery. This means individuals with auditory aphantasia experience a unique form of thought processing, devoid of internal sounds or imagined voices. Delve into the intriguing world of auditory aphantasia to uncover how this condition shapes the way people think and perceive without sound in their mental landscape. Learn more about its implications, challenges, and the diverse ways it manifests in daily life, enhancing your understanding of this lesser-known aspect of human cognition.

  • 4 Articles
  • 6 Discussions
  • 0 Videos
  • 5 Research
Multisensory Aphantasia
Stories
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.
Steven Levithan
on June 23, 2021
switching the focus
Science
Switching The Focus From Visual Imagery
A case for studying mental imagery as a whole
on February 19, 2021
Stories
Can You Hear Music in Your Mind’s Ear?
I can't. Exploring auditory aphantasia and the mysterious mind's ear.
on July 9, 2019
Think of a Horse
Strategies
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.
Tom Ebeyer
on January 24, 2019
Eraina von Stauffen
June 11, 2023
Highly sensitive Person with Aphantasia
I have aphantasia. I am also a highly sensitive person with traits validated by Elaine Aron's research. One of these traits is sensory processing sensi...
Ryqer Scheuerman
March 6, 2023
Whether Aphantasia Is exclusively visual.
I’m pretty sure based on previous conversations, that Aphantasia is the inability to recall all senses, like sight,  taste, touch, sound, etc. But this...
Lerimeedvy
January 2, 2022
Hypersensitive to noise, car head lights etc
Hello. I have aphantasia and my other senses are affected too, e.g I can’t imagine tastes, smells, music etc.  I have always struggled with too much li...
Derek Emery
June 17, 2021
Can aphantasia make you feel different to others: do effects reach beyond visual?
I only discovered my aphantasia a few years ago (81 now) but was always aware that I didn’t think like others and was vaguely aware than many seemed to...
Chriscar
February 21, 2021
Am I unusual in having no sensory memory at all, visual , audio , smell
I have only just discovered Aphantasia as a result of research after also just discovering that other people have a voice in their head. I am now astounded t...
Tom Ebeyer
November 12, 2018
Visual or all senses?
Aphantasia isn’t limited to just visual imagination; it can impact all sensory imagery in the mind. For example, when most people go to a restaurant and see ...
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No clear evidence of a difference between individuals who self-report an absence of auditory imagery and typical imagers on auditory imagery tasks
Pounder, Z., Eardley, A., Loveday, C., & Evans, S. (2023). No clear evidence of a difference between individuals who self-report an absence of auditory imagery and typical imagers on auditory imagery tasks. doi:10.31234/osf.io/n6m5r
Aphantasia is the inability to create mental images in one's mind, but it's not just limited to visual imagery. Recent studies have shown that individuals with aphantasia also struggle with auditory imagery. However, it's unclear whether these deficits in self-reported auditory imagery translate into actual difficulties with tasks that require auditory imagery. To investigate this, individuals with aphantasia and matched controls completed two tasks that required auditory imagery. The results showed that, despite self-reported deficits in both visual and auditory imagery, participants with aphantasia performed similarly to controls on the auditory imagery tasks. This suggests that there may be mechanisms that obscure the observation of imagery deficits in auditory imagery tasks in people with reduced auditory imagery. These findings shed light on the core deficits of aphantasia and provide insight into the extent to which imagery draws on modality-specific or modality-general processes.
Diversity of aphantasia revealed by multiple assessments of the capability for multi-sensory imagery
Takahashi, J., Saito, G., Omura, K., Yasunaga, D., Sugimura, S., Sakamoto, S., … Gyoba, J. (2022). Diversity of aphantasia revealed by multiple assessments of the capability for multi-sensory imagery. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-1703706/v1
Aphantasia is a condition where people struggle to form mental images despite having normal perception. The existing studies use two criteria to identify aphantasia: the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) and self-identification of the absence of visual imagery. However, these two criteria often result in different proportions of aphantasia in the population, and the reason for this discrepancy is unclear. To further investigate, a study was conducted with 2,885 participants where they completed the VVIQ and Questionnaire upon Mental Imagery (QMI) and self-identified the absence of visual imagery. The study found that 3.67% of the participants were identified as aphantasia by the VVIQ criteria and 12.24% by self-identification. The results showed that some individuals in the low VVIQ group had the absence of all sensory imagery, while others had the absence of visual imagery only. The study suggests that visual criteria alone are not enough to fully understand the different types of aphantasia and that evaluating multi-sensory imagery may be more helpful in characterizing aphantasia in different sensory modalities.
Anauralia: The silent mind and its association with Aphantasia
Hinwar, R. P., & Lambert, A. J. (2021). Anauralia: The silent mind and its association with aphantasia. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 744213. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.744213
A study was conducted with 128 participants to examine auditory and visual imagery, with 34 of them self-reporting as having aphantasia (lack of mental imagery). The results showed a strong association between auditory and visual imagery, with most self-reported aphantasics also reporting weak or no auditory imagery. Participants with weak auditory imagery tended to also have aphantasia. However, there were exceptions with one individual in the aphantasic group having typical auditory imagery and one person in the group lacking auditory imagery having typical visual imagery. This suggests that weak auditory and visual imagery can occur independently, although it is rare. The study concludes by suggesting further research into the topic.
What is the link between mental imagery and sensory sensitivity? Insights from Aphantasia
Dance, C. J., Ward, J., & Simner, J. (2021). What is the link between mental imagery and sensory sensitivity? Insights from aphantasia. Perception, 50(9), 757–782. doi:10.1177/03010066211042186
New research shows that people with aphantasia, a condition where they struggle to form mental images, not only have impaired visual imagery but also lower sensory sensitivity across multiple senses such as olfactory and gustatory. The study tested individuals with and without aphantasia and found that imagery and sensitivity are related. People with aphantasia reported not only lower imagery but also lower sensory sensitivity. The research also suggests that aphantasia may be a subtype of a broader imagery deficit, where weak or absent imagery occurs across multiple senses. These findings provide new insights into the relationship between sensory imagery and sensitivity, shedding light on the characteristics of aphantasia.
A cognitive profile of multi-sensory imagery, memory and dreaming in aphantasia
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), 10022. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-65705-7
Visual imagery is an important part of many people's internal experiences and helps with cognitive processes. However, some individuals with aphantasia lack the ability to generate visual imagery. Recent research suggests that aphantasia is defined by a lack of visual imagery and not a lack of awareness of it. A study showed that compared to people who have the ability to create imagery, aphantasic individuals have decreased imagery in other senses, but not all report a complete lack of multi-sensory imagery. They also have less vivid and rich memories and future scenarios, and fewer and less vivid dreams. However, their spatial abilities remain unchanged and aphantasic individuals do not appear to be considerably protected against all forms of trauma symptomatology in response to stressful life events. These findings suggest that visual imagery is a normal tool for representing events, but with large variability between individuals.