Phantasia
Aristotle coins the term phantasia in De Amina (On the Soul), Part III, to describe a distinct capacity between perception and thought — a sort of ‘sixth sense.’ Phantasia is commonly translated to imagination and is often explained in the context of visualizing and dreaming.
The role of visual imagery and verbal coding in short-term memory conjunctive binding: evidence from aphantasia
Aphantasics performed as well as controls on feature-binding tasks even when verbal labeling was difficult. This suggests that mental imagery is not necessary for conjunctive binding, which likely relies on automatic mechanisms.
Delhaye, E., Fritz, P., Martial, C., & Bastin, C. (2026). The role of visual imagery and verbal coding in short-term memory conjunctive binding: evidence from aphantasia. Consciousness and Cognition, 141, 104036. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2026.104036
State but not trait measures of vividness relate to memory accuracy
Researchers found that trial-by-trial vividness predicts memory accuracy, but trait-level measures like the VVIQ do not. This suggests that moment-to-moment imagery fluctuations are more vital for memory than general imagery ability.
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
Exporting the Invisible: How an Aphantasic Artist Creates Animated Musical Scores
When viewers encounter Stephen Malinowski's Music Animation Machine —vibrant, cascading visual scores that dance in perfect synchronization with classical music—many assume the creator must have an exceptionally vivid visual imagination. The reality is precisely the opposite: Malinowski has aphantasia.
Vividness of mental imagery reflects a broad range of internally generated visual experiences
Researchers found vividness ratings robustly reflect diverse internal experiences, though many people have mental depictions without literally seeing them. This suggests redefining aphantasia 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
Pictures Without Mental Pictures: How Aphantasia Is Rewriting a 50-Year-Old Theory of Memory
New research from Wilma Bainbridge and her team at the University of Chicago reveals that people with aphantasia still remember pictures better than words—a finding that upends one of psychology's most influential theories about how memory works.
The Nexus of Hoarding and Mental Imagery Extremes: Exploring Hoarding Tendencies in Aphantasia and Hyperphantasia
Aphantasics showed no increased hoarding symptoms, while hyperphantasics exhibited significantly lower tendencies than typical visualizers. This suggests that vivid mental imagery may 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
Multimodal mental comparisons in those with and without aphantasia
People with aphantasia were more accurate but slower than controls on multimodal mental comparison tasks. This suggests that sensory cognition can be successfully achieved through propositional rather than imagistic strategies.
Suggate, S. P., Milton, F., & Tree, J. (2026). Multimodal mental comparisons in those with and without aphantasia. Neuropsychologia, 222, 109373. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2026.109373
AI-generated inspiration for the design process: effects across the vividness of visual imagery spectrum
AI-generated inspiration removed the link between high visual imagery and better design user experience. This suggests AI tools can level the playing field for people with aphantasia by providing the visual starting points they lack.
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
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
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.
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
Alexander of Aphrodisias on Mental Representation
Alexander of Aphrodisias defined phantasia as a capacity using internal residues and picturing to represent objects. This causal account explains how the mind represents absent things, offering a systematic theory of intentionality.
Hangai, A. (2025). Alexander of aphrodisias on mental representation. Rhizomata, 13(2), 183–223. doi:10.1515/rhiz-2025-0007
The role of subjective interoception in autobiographical deficits in aphantasia
Aphantasics report lower interoceptive awareness, which contributes to autobiographical memory deficits via mental imagery. This suggests aphantasia involves altered bodily processing that extends beyond a lack of visual imagery.
Monzel, M., Nagai, Y., & Silvanto, J. (2025). The role of subjective interoception in autobiographical deficits in aphantasia. Scientific Reports, 15(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-025-23270-x
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 improved accuracy on specific trials. This indicates aphantasia is a distinct 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
Physics versus graphics as an organizing dichotomy in cognition
Researchers propose that aphantasia reflects a broken rendering process within a cognitive split between physical simulation and graphics. This explains why spatial reasoning remains functional despite the lack of visual mental imagery.
Balaban, H., & Ullman, T. D. (2025). Physics versus graphics as an organizing dichotomy in cognition. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 29(11), 985–996. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2025.05.003
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
Brain-Computer Interface tool use and the Contemplation Conundrum: a blueprint of mental action, agency, and control
Researchers proposed the contemplation conundrum, where BCI actions are voluntary yet unintentional due to overlapping neural signatures between contemplation and intention. Studying aphantasia may help isolate markers to improve BCI control.
Mehta, D. (2025). Brain-computer interface tool use and the contemplation conundrum: a blueprint of mental action, agency, and control. Oxford Open Neuroscience, 4. doi:10.1093/oons/kvaf002
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.
Aphantasia and Hyperphantasia: What We Know After a Decade of Research
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.
Rethinking Hyperphantasia: Why "Extreme" Mental Imagery Might Be Two Different Phenomena
A neuroscientist's research reveals that people with hyperphantasia may actually experience fundamentally different types of "extreme" mental imagery - challenging our understanding of vivid visualization.