Finding out you have aphantasia often brings a mix of emotions: confusion, relief, grief for how you thought everyone else's mind worked.
We’re not — aphants don’t see the world the way most people do. Our brains work differently.
Mark Farrar · February 2024
How I used a metaphorical aphantasia stamp to explain all of my perceived shortcomings.
Michael Swanson · November 2023
Zeman and colleagues · Trends in Cognitive Sciences
Replying to a proposal that aphantasia reflects broken mental "rendering," this letter argues that conscious object imagery is unlikely to be a useless by-product. Links with memory, empathy and emotion suggest it may support social life.
Balaban and Ullman · Trends in Cognitive Sciences
Researchers propose that visual imagery links to social reasoning and autobiographical memory indirectly through emotional activation. This suggests that "graphical rendering" in the mind serves as a vital building block for emotional and social processing.
Kvamme and colleagues · Heliyon
In 591 young adults, more vivid imagery went with an inward-focused style: attention to body signals, mindfulness, and openness. In statistical models, imagery related to mental health only through this style, partly through lower alexithymia.
Chen and colleagues · Empirical Studies of the Arts
Higher sensory imagery ability is associated with increased emotional valence, arousal, and aesthetic appeal when viewing paintings. This suggests that mental imagery capacity significantly enhances the richness of aesthetic experiences.
Does a lack of episodic memories impact our experience of shame, or can other factors influence this emotional response? Share your thoughts!
Josh · · 4 replies
Experience a fragmented internal narrative where identity feels like disjointed facts rather than a continuous story. How does this shape you?
Josh · · 2 replies
