Nature Podcast Audio long read: Many people have no mental imagery. What’s going on in their brains?
Mar 2, 2026
Explores what mental imagery is and why about 4% of people report little or no visual imagery. Covers the discovery and naming of aphantasia and how its prevalence varies across modalities and professions. Describes objective tests for imagery strength and surprising brain activity patterns without conscious imagery. Examines altered connectivity, effects on memory, compensation strategies, and possible benefits for mental health.
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Aphantasia Affects Roughly Four Percent Of People
- About 4% of people report weak or absent mental imagery, describing their mind's eye as dark or blank when asked to imagine familiar things.
- Max Shine and others discovered many only realize this difference after conversations or reading, revealing hidden variation in internal experience.
Patient Lost Mind's Eye After Heart Procedure
- Adam Zeman documented a patient who lost his mind's eye after a heart procedure and found expected perception but reduced imagery-related brain activity.
- That 2010 case study led Zeman to receive hundreds of messages and coin the term aphantasia in 2015.
Binocular Rivalry Provides An Objective Imagery Measure
- Objective tests like binocular rivalry show imagery strength influences perception bias, providing a measurable proxy for vividness.
- Joel Pearson found imagining one pattern makes you more likely to see that pattern during rivalry; absent imagery yields no bias.