Hyperphantasia

Hyperphantasia is characterized by an abundance of mental imagery. Or in other words, a very vivid imagination. People with hyperphantasia can create clear and detailed images in their minds, often to the point where these mental images have a 'lifelike' quality. It is the opposite of aphantasia, where mental imagery is absent. This phenomenon doesn't just impact visual imagination. It can extend to other senses, such as auditory (sound), olfactory (smell), gustatory (taste), tactile (bodily sensation), and motor (movement) imagination. In addition to vividness and clarity, mental imagery could also vary in mode. Projectors perceive their mental image as superimposed onto their visual experience, whereas, associators do not “see” mental images but can nevertheless have a clear visual representation in their mind. Discover and learn more about hyperphantasia.

Hyperphantasia

Article

‘That’s Not How I Pictured It’ – Why Book‑to‑Film Adaptations So Often Disappoint

Film adaptations and illustrations can clash with our personal mental images. However, for those with aphantasia, who cannot mentally visualize, these on-screen adaptations offer a uniquely liberating way to experience stories.

recentlyby Julia Thomas

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State but not trait measures of vividness relate to memory accuracy

Trial-by-trial mental imagery vividness significantly predicts memory accuracy for both visual and spatial changes across age groups. This suggests that while imagery influences episodic memory, it is not the sole mechanism driving performance.

Duckett, W., & Simons, J. S. (2026). State but not trait measures of vividness relate to memory accuracy. Neuropsychologia, 224, 109399. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2026.109399

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Vividness of mental imagery reflects a broad range of internally generated visual experiences

Vividness ratings robustly capture a wide range of subjective experiences, from internal mental depictions to externally projected imagery. This suggests aphantasia should be redefined to distinguish between faint imagery and a total lack of pictorial representation.

Schwarzkopf, D. S., Yu, X. A., Altan, E., Bouyer, L. N., Saurels, B. W., Pellicano, E., & Arnold, D. H. (2026). Vividness of mental imagery reflects a broad range of internally generated visual experiences. Royal Society Open Science, 13(3). doi:10.1098/rsos.251887

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Article

You Are Not Furniture: What A Viral Post Got Wrong About Aphantasia

A viral post called people who can't visualize 'furniture.' I was one of the first 21 people ever documented with aphantasia. Here's what that post gets wrong.

recentlyby Tom Ebeyer and

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The Nexus of Hoarding and Mental Imagery Extremes: Exploring Hoarding Tendencies in Aphantasia and Hyperphantasia

Aphantasics showed no increased hoarding symptoms, while hyperphantasics reported significantly lower symptoms than typical visualizers. This suggests that vivid mental imagery may actually protect against the development of hoarding behaviors.

Sabel, I., Kay, L., Pearson, J., & Grisham, J. (2026). The nexus of hoarding and mental imagery extremes: exploring hoarding tendencies in aphantasia and hyperphantasia. Psychological Reports. doi:10.1177/00332941261425581

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AI-generated inspiration for the design process: effects across the vividness of visual imagery spectrum

AI-generated inspiration attenuated the link between visual imagery vividness and user experience during design tasks. This suggests external visual aids may help bridge the gap for those with low imagery when performing creative work.

Lebron Flores, M. O., & Moacdieh, N. M. (2026). Ai-generated inspiration for the design process: effects across the vividness of visual imagery spectrum. International Journal of Design Creativity and Innovation, 1–19. doi:10.1080/21650349.2026.2629810

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Video

The Art of Seeing Differently: How Aphantasic Artists Challenge the Myth of the Visualizing Genius

Art historian Matthew MacKisack's research reveals that aphantasic artists create stunning work through external composition—challenging centuries of assumptions about creativity and imagination.

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An inwardly focused cognitive style links mental imagery and mental health

Vivid mental imagery is linked to an inwardly focused cognitive style involving interoceptive awareness and mindful presence. This suggests that imagery ability influences mental health by mediating emotional processing and memory.

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

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Article

Alexander of Aphrodisias: The Ancient Philosopher Who Mapped Mental Imagery

This piece explores recently published philosophical research on Alexander of Aphrodisias (c. 200 AD) and its relevance to understanding aphantasia. While ancient philosophers couldn't have known about cognitive diversity as we understand it today, their assumptions about universal mental processes help us appreciate how differently minds can work.

recentlyby Tom Ebeyer

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Do low imagers know more words? examining the association between mental imagery and vocabulary size

Individuals with low mental imagery scores achieved higher vocabulary accuracy than those with high imagery scores. This suggests that a lack of mental imagery may be associated with enhanced verbal or linguistic processing abilities.

Yavuz, M., & Nazir, T. A. (2026). Do low imagers know more words? examining the association between mental imagery and vocabulary size. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, 1–14. doi:10.1080/23273798.2026.2614588

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Multisensory Imagery Enhances the Aesthetic Evaluation of Paintings: A Virtual Reality Study

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.

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

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Comparing the characteristics of hallucinations and mental imagery: a large cross-sectional study in the general population

Involuntary mental imagery is more frequent and vivid than hallucinations, though both share similar phenomenological traits. This suggests these inner experiences exist on a continuum rather than being entirely distinct phenomena.

Pepin, G., Lœvenbruck, H., Chauvin, A., Jacquet, C., Eichenlaub, J.-B., & Bortolon, C. (2026). Comparing the characteristics of hallucinations and mental imagery: a large cross-sectional study in the general population. Consciousness and Cognition, 137, 103974. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2025.103974

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Is aphantasia a neurological deficit? An event-related potentials entropy study on perception and mental imagery interaction

Aphantasics showed higher brain entropy in frontal and temporal lobes and performed better on tasks when imagery was absent. This suggests aphantasia is a unique cognitive processing mode rather than a neurological deficit.

Wymark, D., Jani, V., Sheculski, M., & D'Angiulli, A. (2025). Is aphantasia a neurological deficit? an event-related potentials entropy study on perception and mental imagery interaction. Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 480, 125361. doi:10.1016/j.jns.2025.125361

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Neural network topologies supporting individual variations in vividness of visual imagery

Vivid mental imagery is supported by high local efficiency and segregation in the imagery, occipital, and salience brain networks. This suggests that specialized, localized information transfer across these key networks is essential for vivid visualization.

Kvamme, T. L., Lumaca, M., Bajada, C. J., Gregersen, S. D., Hobot, J., Paunovic, D., Wierzchon, M., Zana, B., Silvanto, J., & Sandberg, K. (2025). Neural network topologies supporting individual variations in vividness of visual imagery. NeuroImage, 321, 121520. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121520

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The Aphantasia-Hyperphantasia spectrum

Aphantasia is not a monolithic condition but a heterogeneous spectrum with diverse underlying causes. Recognizing this complexity helps researchers better understand the interpersonal differences in imagery vividness across the entire population.

Nanay, B. (2025). The aphantasia-hyperphantasia spectrum. Neuropsychologia, 109293. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2025.109293

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A decade of aphantasia research – and still going!

A decade of research shows aphantasia is a heterogeneous condition with varying subtypes and preserved cognitive performance. This suggests that conscious visual imagery is not required for complex tasks like memory and spatial reasoning.

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, hyperphantasia and sensory imagery in a multi-cultural sample

Researchers found that aphantasia prevalence and multisensory imagery strength vary significantly across different cultural groups. This suggests that cultural and environmental factors may play a key role in shaping individual differences in mental imagery.

Bruder, J., & Zehra, M. (2025). Aphantasia, hyperphantasia and sensory imagery in a multi-cultural sample. Journal of Cultural Cognitive Science, 9(3), 465–481. doi:10.1007/s41809-025-00184-8

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Video

The Shape of Things Unseen: Conversation with Dr. Adam Zeman On The New Science of Imagination

What if everything you thought you knew about creativity was wrong? The scientist who discovered aphantasia unveils the "new science of imagination" and explains why visualization might not be essential to human creativity.

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Definition: Aphantasia

Researchers define aphantasia as the absence of voluntary sensory imagery, often extending beyond vision to other modalities. This formal definition establishes a standardized framework for classifying multisensory and global imagery deficits.

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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Article

Ekphrasis: The Ancient Art of Evoking Vivid Mental Images

Did the ancient Greeks know some people can’t create mental images? The forgotten history of ekphrasis challenges our assumptions about imagination and offers surprising insights into our image-saturated world.

recentlyby Jennifer McDougall