In an exclusive interview with Aphantasia Network, Professor Adam Zeman, author of “The Shape of Things Unseen: A New Science of Imagination,” reveals groundbreaking insights about how our minds work—and why some people experience the world without mental images.
What Is the New Science of Imagination?
The new science of imagination represents a revolutionary understanding of how the human mind creates, recalls, and experiences mental content. Professor Zeman’s research has transformed our knowledge of imagination from a mysterious creative force into a measurable, scientifically understood capacity that defines human consciousness.
Imagination encompasses three distinct aspects:
- Perceptual imagery: The immediate visual or sensory experience of the world around us
- Mental simulation: Thinking about things that aren’t present (like visualizing an apple in its absence)
- Creative reconceptualization: The ability to envision new possibilities and configurations
The Unexpected Discovery That Changed Everything
Professor Zeman’s journey into the new science of imagination began unexpectedly in the early 2000s when he encountered patient “MX”—a man who had lost his ability to visualize after a medical procedure. What started as a single case study would eventually reveal that millions of people worldwide live without mental imagery, a condition Zeman would later name aphantasia.
“I was delighted when 20 people got in touch over several years,” Zeman recalls. “I thought this was going to be a rarity, an intriguing rarity. I hadn’t at all expected that it would be a feature of experience which occurs in a few percent of the world’s population.”
The revelation came after Carl Zimmer wrote about the research in Discover magazine. Within hours of a brief television appearance, Zeman’s email was flooded with messages from people worldwide who recognized themselves in the description—people who had always known something was different about their inner experience but had never been able to name it.
Why Imagination Is Humanity’s Most Distinctive Capacity
According to the new science of imagination, this cognitive ability may be what truly sets humans apart from other species. Research using descriptive experience sampling reveals that the most common conscious content for humans is actually imagery—more common even than our awareness of the immediate perceptual world.
“We spend between a quarter and a half of our time daydreaming or mind wandering,” Zeman explains. “We are profoundly cultural creatures, and culture is the product of ultimately individual acts of human imagination.”
This capacity to detach ourselves from the here and now—to recollect the past, anticipate the future, and enter virtual worlds created by novelists, filmmakers, or scientists—forms the foundation of human culture itself.
How Creative People with Aphantasia Work Differently
The new science of imagination has revealed surprising insights about creativity and mental imagery. While many creative individuals describe visual imagery as central to their process, highly successful creatives with aphantasia demonstrate that visualization isn’t required for exceptional creativity.
Notable examples include:
- Ed Catmull, past president of Pixar and Turing Prize winner for computer animation discoveries
- Glen Keane, Disney animator who created The Little Mermaid’s
When asked about his creative process, Catmull responded: “I don’t know. I need a whiteboard. I kind of enter into dialogue with it and interesting things happen.” Keane, despite arguments with mentors insisting he must visualize to draw, maintains he doesn’t see images in his head—instead, “the page is his mind’s eye.”
The Brain Science Behind Mental Imagery
Recent advances in the new science of imagination have uncovered the neural mechanisms underlying mental imagery and aphantasia. Brain imaging research reveals that visualization involves driving the visual system “top down”—using knowledge of what something looks like to activate visual regions in reverse.
The Default Mode Network Discovery
One of the most significant findings involves the default mode network—a set of brain regions particularly active during rest that governs:
- Daydreaming and mind wandering
- Past memory recollection
- Future anticipation
- Social thinking and moral decisions
This network collaborates unusually with executive control regions during creative work, suggesting why some people can simultaneously reach deep for creative ideas while shaping and critiquing them.
Aphantasic Brain Differences
Contrary to initial expectations, people with aphantasia do activate visual regions when thinking about visual information. The key difference lies in connectivity: aphantasic brains show weaker connections between frontal thinking regions and the visual system.
“People with aphantasia have said to me, ‘I feel that there’s imagery there, I just can’t quite get to it,'” Zeman notes. “It’s rather like a tip-of-the-tongue experience.”
Memory Without Mental Time Travel
The new science of imagination reveals that memory differences represent the most significant psychological distinction between people with and without mental imagery. Most people with aphantasia describe their personal memories as “thinner” and less rich than those of friends and family.
Psychological studies confirm that aphantasic individuals tend to recall fewer details, particularly sensory details, when recounting past experiences. This extends to imagining future events, reflecting the close relationship between memory and prospective thinking.
The distinction mirrors two memory types:
- Semantic memory: Database of facts and knowledge
- Episodic memory: Ability to re-experience past events
People with aphantasia typically rely more heavily on semantic memory, recalling facts about their past rather than rich, sensory-laden experiences.
Spatial Imagery: The Surprising Exception
While most people with aphantasia lack sensory imagery across all modalities, spatial imagery often remains intact. Many aphantasic individuals can successfully count windows in their house by consulting an internal “map”—a non-visual spatial representation.
This reflects distinct neural pathways:
- Object imagery pathway: Processes detailed, colorful visual information (often impaired in aphantasia)
- Spatial imagery pathway: Handles location and spatial relationships (typically preserved)
The Protective Potential Against Trauma
The new science of imagination suggests aphantasia may offer some protection against trauma-related disorders. Research indicates that people with aphantasia experience fewer recurring thoughts and images after viewing distressing content.
“Many people have said that they move on more easily from traumatic events than others seem to because they’re not revisited by thoughts of the person they’ve lost or the place that they’ve left,” Zeman observes.
However, he emphasizes this area requires further research, noting that some individuals report losing imagery following traumatic events—suggesting the mind might “dial down” imagery as a defence mechanism.
Genetic Factors and Family Connections
Emerging research in the new science of imagination points to genetic components in aphantasia. Family studies show approximately a ten-fold increase in likelihood of having aphantasia if a sibling has the condition, suggesting hereditary factors play a significant role.
The Diversity Within Aphantasia
The new science of imagination reveals that aphantasia isn’t a single, uniform condition. Research identifies several subtypes:
- Pure visual aphantasia (with intact auditory imagery)
- Multi-sensory aphantasia (affecting all sensory modalities)
- Acquired aphantasia (following trauma or medical events)
- Congenital aphantasia (present from birth)
Educational and Professional Implications
Preliminary research suggests aphantasia may nudge individuals toward STEM fields, possibly because abstract thinking becomes more natural when not “cluttered” by visual imagery. Craig Venter, the geneticist who first decoded the human genome, attributed his scientific success partly to his lack of mental imagery.
However, Zeman cautions against the “aphantasia stamp“—the tendency to retrospectively attribute life experiences solely to the condition. Success and creativity span all cognitive styles, with accomplished aphantasic individuals found in every profession.
Future Directions in Imagination Research
The new science of imagination continues evolving rapidly. Professor Zeman identifies several priority research areas:
Immediate Research Goals:
- Defining aphantasia subtypes and their relationships to conditions like autism and SDAM
- Exploring genetic factors through large-scale biobank studies
- Investigating mental health associations and protective factors
- Understanding educational implications and alternative learning strategies
Long-term Questions:
- Can visualization abilities be enhanced or restored?
- How do different types of imagery interact with memory formation?
- What role does cultural evolution play in shaping imaginative capacities?
The Broader Impact on Understanding Human Nature
The new science of imagination extends far beyond aphantasia research. By studying variations in mental imagery, scientists gain insights into consciousness, creativity, memory, and what makes each human mind unique.
“If we appreciated the complexity of the human organism, particularly the brain, we’d treat each other better,” Zeman reflects. “We are the most extraordinary creations. Each of us inhabits our own imaginative universe, and each of our universes is subtly different.”
Taking the Next Steps
For individuals wondering about their own mental imagery experiences, the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) provides a starting point for self-assessment. Scores range from 16 (complete aphantasia) to 80 (hyperphantasia), with most people falling somewhere in between.
The Shape of Things Unseen: A New Science of Imagination reminds us that cognitive diversity represents a fundamental aspect of human experience. Whether you visualize in vivid detail, experience no mental imagery, or fall somewhere between, your unique cognitive profile contributes to the richness of human consciousness and creativity.
As Professor Zeman’s research continues expanding our understanding of imagination, one thing remains clear: the variations in how we experience our inner mental lives are not disabilities or deficits, but fascinating examples of the extraordinary diversity of human minds.