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A member’s story
‘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.
Julia Thomas · July 2026
A member’s story
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.
Tom Ebeyer · March 2026
A member’s story
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.
Tom Ebeyer · January 2026
What the research says
Aphantasia and ADHD: You Asked, We Dug Into the Research
If you've ever felt like your aphantasia and ADHD are tangled together in ways you can't quite explain, you're not alone. Researchers are beginning to untangle that same thread — and what they're finding suggests the mind's eye depends on attention in ways we're only starting to understand.
Tom Ebeyer · October 2025
Watch
Disordered, Deficient, Dehumanized: How the Language of Aphantasia Research Shapes What We Think About It
May 2026
Research
2026
Exploring the experiences of autistic and non-autistic aphantasics: A qualitative study
Zhong and colleagues · Neuropsychologia
Researchers analyzed free-text comments from 25 autistic and 25 non-autistic adults with aphantasia, matched for age, who answered one open-ended question at the end of an online survey. Comments fell under imagery, thinking, and emotions and social life; more non-autistic people mentioned imagery in other senses, mostly describing it as intact, while more autistic people described themselves as thinking in words. Many described memories as known facts rather than relived scenes, and some described knowing an emotion without feeling it. The group differences rest on small numbers and a single question.
2026
What If Your Mind's Eye Can't See?
Stewart and Brick Taft · Journal of the International Society for Teacher Education
In one school, 13.8% of 94 fourth graders scored in the aphantasia range and 27.7% in the hyperphantasia range, both above adult estimates. The authors suggest teachers offer strategies that do not rely on picturing.
2026
Age differences in visual and multisensory imagery: Notes on distributions of aphantasia and hyperphantasia in individuals aged 20s–70s
Takahashi, Omura and Sugimura · Neuropsychologia
Older adults reported more vivid visual and multisensory imagery, while aphantasia was more prevalent in younger groups. This suggests that age should be considered when identifying aphantasia and setting diagnostic thresholds.
2026
Reimagining the vividness of visual imagery questionnaire as a single item screener for aphantasia
Monzel and colleagues · Consciousness and Cognition
VVIQ items showed high redundancy for identifying aphantasia, with inter-item correlations ranging from .79 to .90. A single screening question about visualizing a familiar place achieved high specificity (98.8%) and sensitivity (97.5%) against the strictest definition of core aphantasia (VVIQ = 16), suggesting the full 16-item questionnaire is unnecessary for screening purposes.
From the community
VVIQ - Visual Imagery Questionnaire - Suggestion
An introductory section clarifying imagery differences could help testers better understand their experiences on the VVIQ. What else can we add?
Josh · · 3 replies
Multi-sensory Aphantasia vs Hyper Aphantasia
Finding ways to help someone cope with overwhelming mental imagery can be challenging. Any tips for alleviating constant mental activity?
jilma · · 2 replies