Aphantasy
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I can actually imagine things more vividly with my eyes open, heh.
Anyway, it's a 5 with eyes closed, a 6 with eyes open.
Anyway, it's a 5 with eyes closed, a 6 with eyes open.
java
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On Discord this morning we've found someone with near total aphantasia, unable to imagine the star. Instead, he thinks about the facts. It is a star, it has 5 points, it is red, etc. Despite being unable to do things like mentally picturing his own living room when he's at work, he still functions as anyone else does.
What difficulties does it bring for you?
philostam
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Yeah, you can definitely function normally. I suspect total aphantasia is probably more common than we think, especially with sensors.
What bothers me is that I cannot recall memories so vividly. Pictures are not vivid at all, I can only recreate the general feeling about the situation. Also future pacing is less effective. I imagine that people with good imagination can motivate themselves based on future scenario. For example, "if I don't do this now, X event might happen". If you're able to visualize the consequence in advance, you're more likely to act accordingly in the present.
Also it would just be more interesting. I could just lay in bed and create scenarios in my head. Day dreaming, but in a good way.
Also my dreams are boring as fuck.
Being left brained/logical/verbal thinker has its advantages for sure, but I would like to see how it is on the other side.
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Isn't it possible to train imagination/inner visualization, though?
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Yup
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Yes, and that makes it more vivid for me. Imagining a static image is harder.
My sister has aphantasia, by the way. She found out a couple of months ago and freaked out. Here's the strange thing: she's an editor and has been to art school for audiovisual design. It clearly doesn't hold her back, though I have no idea how anyone would make a video without being able to imagine the timeline and shots. But somehow she does just fine.
D
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philostam
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I doubt so. I researched and there are some gurus that cured their aphantasia, but it's all behind a paywall. It's almost certainly a scam.
Even if it was possible, it's not like it's SUCH an issue that I would actually take few hours a day to cure it.
D
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philostam
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Yeah...It's not, I don't know what the right word is.
Few added benefits:
- I fall asleep very quickly, usually within 3-5 minutes. It's easier to do when everything is just black and empty lol. My gf is a strong visual type and needs around 40 minutes to fall asleep.
- You're not so haunted by traumatic events in the past, because you can't see them.
D
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The difference is really fascinating.
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What interested me particularly when we were talking about this one the Discord - java sharing my thought - is how differently people with high aphantasia process things, if at all.
For example when we asked the person in discord to describe the outfit of a friend whom they had last seen, one of the details was the stitching pattern on their friends' shoes. It's just intriguing, the impact on people who view the world in a more 'detailed' way such as this, rather than general 'images' as most seem to have. It would be interesting to see whether there really is much of a difference due to how people with high aphantasia process reality, and the impact it has on their lives in comparison with others.
They also said that they had quite high prosopagnosia (struggling with facial recognition). Apparently there is a colleague they see a couple of times a year, for the past four, and yet cannot recall their face. It has ended up with quite a few awkward situations where they have introduced themselves a number of times - they now check their organisation chart before every meeting, due to how much they struggle with it.
https://aphantasia.com/vviq/
A test/quiz we had posted too, just to see where you fit on the scale.
(It does require an email at the end, if you're interested)
For example when we asked the person in discord to describe the outfit of a friend whom they had last seen, one of the details was the stitching pattern on their friends' shoes. It's just intriguing, the impact on people who view the world in a more 'detailed' way such as this, rather than general 'images' as most seem to have. It would be interesting to see whether there really is much of a difference due to how people with high aphantasia process reality, and the impact it has on their lives in comparison with others.
They also said that they had quite high prosopagnosia (struggling with facial recognition). Apparently there is a colleague they see a couple of times a year, for the past four, and yet cannot recall their face. It has ended up with quite a few awkward situations where they have introduced themselves a number of times - they now check their organisation chart before every meeting, due to how much they struggle with it.
https://aphantasia.com/vviq/
A test/quiz we had posted too, just to see where you fit on the scale.
(It does require an email at the end, if you're interested)
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Yes. Don't go there, please.
My SO did this test too and did fine, so I wondered about the possibility of training this sort of thing. Only cognitive function preference seems off to me.
philostam
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Well it's like this: It's not like I don't remember what people wear. If I pay attention, and you ask me later, I will be able to tell you what they wore and what color was it etc. That's just memory.
But I cannot really recreate it vividly in my mind. Also the thing about not recognizing faces of your friends is just super weird.
