Early research is looking at whether aphantasia and hyperphantasia correlate with personality traits. Preliminary, but ongoing.
Since 2015, "aphantasia" has reshaped our understanding of imagination, revealing that not everyone visualizes mentally. This discovery, along with "hyperphantasia," highlights the diverse nature of human imagination.
Tom Ebeyer · May 2024
Schelp and Lambert · Auditory Perception & Cognition
In an online survey of 344 people, recruited partly through aphantasia and neurodiversity forums, those with no mind's ear (who cannot imagine sounds) or no inner voice scored lower on unusual experiences and beliefs linked to psychosis risk, and people who reported no visual imagery scored very slightly lower. Those with no mind's ear also scored a little higher on withdrawal and loss of interest. A very vivid mind's ear went with slightly more unusual experiences, while a very vivid inner voice made no difference. Effects ranged from very small to medium, and all measures were self-report questionnaires.
Lambert and colleagues · Neuropsychologia
Researchers found that anauralia and aphantasia share a 0.8% prevalence but have distinct psychological profiles. This suggests that the absence of sensory imagery is modality-specific rather than a single, unified condition.
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.