14SY6sEbanspbCxCagaGH9uxJ8NYEUga55 ·
Last year I discovered I have aphantasia.
I have no minds eye and cannot conjure imagery in my mind.
2% of people are like this. Our minds are blind.
75% of people have no inner monologue. Their minds are silent.
Replies
1DcHVyQmQX9NEuZ9m8NAtYT6oLUsvx5aFT (8209) ·
I also have aphantasia. Realized that my mind works differently during a conversation with a friend. It was about "counting the sheep" to fall asleep.
On the other hand, my inner monologue is really loud and hard to turn off.
1DcHVyQmQX9NEuZ9m8NAtYT6oLUsvx5aFT (8209) ·
Kinda sucks that I can't imagine faces of loved ones or places I've visited. But it's easy for me to remember things I've heard, like song lyrics or stuff someone said years ago. For example I still remember my friends poem from second grade and I'm 30.
1F8Xao4zgGEcfZRQpn1SroARGbCK4CjkyC (561) ·
WTF I must be the exact opposite then.
I have loud inner monologue by default and vivid imagery.
So much that sometimes it's hard to remain in the physical world. I have to really make efforts to be present, otherwise I am living in my mind thinking.
14SY6sEbanspbCxCagaGH9uxJ8NYEUga55 ·
When I realised I had a bit of a quarter life crisis but so much of my personality made sense instantly. I used to think picture in your head was a metaphor. And, like you said some people can recreate music, smell and touch too.
14SY6sEbanspbCxCagaGH9uxJ8NYEUga55 ·
It’s so hard to explain to others. I know abstractly what things look like. Curious if like me you were deemed ‘intelligent’ by teachers but always underperformed in exams. I realise now all my class mates were cheating. They had the books in their head!
1DcHVyQmQX9NEuZ9m8NAtYT6oLUsvx5aFT (8209) ·
My first reaction was jealousy towards my friend :/
Took couple of weeks for me to get over it.
I still think that being able to create pictures in your head is a superpower.
14SY6sEbanspbCxCagaGH9uxJ8NYEUga55 ·
I don’t know how you guys aren’t just in a basement with your eyes closed all the time. I’d be tripping every second, living in fictional universes. I realise now why I like games and VR so much. So you can just play Beatsaber in your head on demand? Crazy
1DcHVyQmQX9NEuZ9m8NAtYT6oLUsvx5aFT (8209) ·
I did quite well in exams because I remembered what the teacher had said in class.
I can easily describe things I've seen, like what color or shape something is, just unable to form a picture of it in my head.
14SY6sEbanspbCxCagaGH9uxJ8NYEUga55 ·
If it makes you feel better I use the Dare Devil analogy. We are blind but our other senses are heightened. I’m sure like me, you’ve thought up a few thousand books worth of content in your head. Also, means we are forced to live life to experience it.
14SY6sEbanspbCxCagaGH9uxJ8NYEUga55 ·
Maybe I should have listened more in class.
I discovered that if I repeat what someone is saying in my head as they talk, it becomes much easier to recall. I also really struggle to read fiction. I build up fact sheets instead of visualising descriptions.
1DcHVyQmQX9NEuZ9m8NAtYT6oLUsvx5aFT (8209) ·
"forced to live life to experience it" somehow that made me feel better :) thanks
Aphantasia might also explain my fondness of video games, especially fantasy rpgs. That way I can interact with a vivid imaginary world I otherwise lack.
1DcHVyQmQX9NEuZ9m8NAtYT6oLUsvx5aFT (8209) ·
Reading fiction was one of the topics with my friend. He wondered why I read so much fantasy when I can't imagine the things written. I absolutely love Tolkien because he describes things so thoroughly in his books. And a good story doesn't need images!