What the study found
People differ in their ability to create images in the mind’s eye, with some having aphantasia (an inability to form mental images), others having ordinary phantasia, and some having hyperphantasia, or unusually vivid imagery.
Why the authors say this matters
The abstract suggests that aphantasia is linked with poor autobiographical memory, conceptual rather than visual dreaming, possible association with the autistic spectrum, and similar traits in relatives. The authors also note that people with aphantasia may not have the same disappointment some phantasiacs experience when film versions of imagined people or places do not match their mental images.
What the researchers tested
The article is a research article, but the abstract mainly provides a short historical and descriptive overview. It refers to Francis Galton’s 1880 work on mental imagery and to Zeman and colleagues’ 2015 naming of aphantasia, phantasia, and hyperphantasia.
What worked and what didn't
According to the abstract, people with aphantasia may still be good artists. They may dream conceptually rather than visually and may be on the autistic spectrum; their relatives are also said to be likely aphantasiac. The abstract also states that people with Charles Bonnet syndrome are blind but still experience visions in the mind’s eye, and they are presumed to be phantasiacs.
What to keep in mind
The available summary is brief and mostly descriptive, so it does not report specific study methods, sample size, or quantitative results. The abstract itself does not provide detailed evidence for the associations it mentions.
Key points
- The article distinguishes aphantasia, phantasia, and hyperphantasia as different levels of mental imagery ability.
- Aphantasia is described as an inability to form images in the mind’s eye.
- The abstract says aphantasiacs may have poor autobiographical memory and dream conceptually rather than visually.
- The abstract notes possible links with the autistic spectrum and with relatives who are also likely aphantasiac.
- People with Charles Bonnet syndrome are described as blind but still having visions in the mind’s eye.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Mental imagery varies from absent to unusually vivid
- Authors:
- J K Aronson
- Institutions:
- University of Oxford
- Publication date:
- 2026-02-27
- DOI:
- 10.1136/bmj.s411
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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