Emotion
Discovering you have aphantasia often accompanies a complex mix of emotions, ranging from confusion and sadness to relief and a heightened sense of self-identity. This discovery can be a pivotal moment, leading to profound personal insights and a reevaluation of one's cognitive experiences. Sharing these experiences with others who have aphantasia provides invaluable opportunities for connection and mutual understanding. It opens up a space where individuals can find common ground, exchange diverse perspectives, and cultivate community. This collection of personal stories is a testament to the power of shared narratives in navigating the emotional landscape of aphantasia. By diving into these accounts, you can witness the transformative impact of community support and the emotions accompanying the journey of understanding and embracing this unique cognitive trait.
Rendering aphantasia into the social realm
Aphantasia is linked to factual autobiographical memory and reduced empathy for verbal narratives. This suggests that mental imagery is a key component of social cognition and our ability to share experiences.
Zeman, A., Digard, B., Happé, F., Levine, B., & Monzel, M. (2026). Rendering aphantasia into the social realm. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2025.11.014
Emotion may indirectly link rendering and social reasoning
Researchers propose that visual imagery links to social cognition and memory indirectly through emotional activation. This suggests imagery functions to trigger evolutionarily conserved emotional responses to internal simulations.
Balaban, H., & Ullman, T. D. (2026). Emotion may indirectly link rendering and social reasoning. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2025.12.009
An inwardly focused cognitive style links mental imagery and mental health
Mental imagery vividness is part of an inwardly focused cognitive style linked to interoception and mindfulness. This trait mediates the relationship between imagery and mental health by shaping emotional awareness and regulation.
Kvamme, T. L., Rutiku, R., Wierzchoń, M., Griskova-Bulanova, I., Fardo, F., Barzykowski, K., Sandberg, K., & Silvanto, J. (2026). An inwardly focused cognitive style links mental imagery and mental health. Heliyon, 12(2), e44433. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e44433
Multisensory Imagery Enhances the Aesthetic Evaluation of Paintings: A Virtual Reality Study
Multisensory mental imagery enhances the aesthetic appeal of paintings by increasing imagery vividness and emotional arousal. This suggests that intentional imagery can be used as a cognitive strategy to deepen aesthetic experiences.
Chen, Z., Han, Z., Wu, L., & Huang, J. (2026). Multisensory imagery enhances the aesthetic evaluation of paintings: a virtual reality study. Empirical Studies of the Arts. doi:10.1177/02762374251412761
The Aphantasia-Hyperphantasia spectrum
Aphantasia is a heterogeneous phenomenon involving multiple distinct spectrums rather than a single monolithic condition. This suggests that studying the entire spectrum is key to understanding individual differences in cognition and emotion.
Nanay, B. (2025). The aphantasia-hyperphantasia spectrum. Neuropsychologia, 109293. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2025.109293
The heart’s eye: how mental imagery influences romantic emotion
People with aphantasia showed muted neural responses and minimal heart rate changes during romantic imagery tasks. This suggests that visual imagery is a primary driver of emotional embodiment and physiological arousal.
Cui, B., Kong, Y., & Zhang, W. (2025). The heart’s eye: how mental imagery influences romantic emotion. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1608874
The Memory Paradox: How Aphantasia Reveals Hidden Pathways in the Brain's Recall System
How a researcher's brain imaging study of people who can't form mental images led to surprising discoveries about memory accuracy, neural noise, and the multiple pathways our minds use to access the past.
The Aphantasia Stamp—Do You Blame Aphantasia for Your Perceived Shortcomings?
How I used a metaphorical aphantasia stamp to explain all of my perceived shortcomings.
Aphantasia and SDAM - Gifts of Healing
When your life has been filled with trauma, you have to wonder: could aphantasia and SDAM be the source of the trauma, or could they be the means of healing?
Is it really empathy? The potentially confounding role of mental imagery in self-reports of empathy
Aphantasics scored lower on verbal empathy tests but matched controls on image-based assessments. This suggests traditional empathy measures are confounded by imagery ability rather than reflecting true differences in emotional capacity.
Monzel, M., Keidel, K., & Reuter, M. (2023). Is it really empathy? the potentially confounding role of mental imagery in self-reports of empathy. Journal of Research in Personality, 103, 104354. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2023.104354
Heavy emotions in any situation
Emotions can swing wildly between joy and despair, creating a heavy burden. Do others experience this intensity in their feelings?
I think we remember feelings, experiences but not sensations.
Do we truly recall sensations, or do we only remember the emotions tied to our experiences? Let's explore this idea together.
Maybe You Have SDAM?
Discovering aphantasia and Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory (SDAM) is a roller coaster of emotions. Yet I learned to understand myself and others better.
Does aphantasia effect empathy?
Can a logical approach to empathy compensate for a lack of emotional visualization? Let's explore how our experiences shape our understanding of others.
Multisensory Aphantasia and Empathy
Can those with limited internal sensory responses still build meaningful connections? Share your experiences with compassion and relationships.
Empathy/Relating to Others with Aphantasia
Can others relate to struggling with empathy for real-life situations while feeling deep emotions for fictional characters?
Embracing Aphantasia
Aphantasia may be an imagination extreme but it occurs naturally on a marvellous spectrum of human experiences.
Fear or joy towards mental images?
Do mental images bring you joy or anxiety? Can you control them, or do they control you? Share your experiences!
Discover You: Navigating Therapy and Aphantasia
Realizing you have aphantasia is a discovery. Discoveries can be challenging. Tips for navigating therapy and aphantasia.
Aphantasia and mourning
Struggling to remember loved ones after loss? Share your experiences and tips for keeping their memories alive.