Aphantasia (I’ve never heard of it either).

[Zimmerman]

This has blown my mind... I’m a 1.
Assumed I’d be a 6.

Try not scroll down (although I don’t think it made a difference to me) until after you’ve tried.

Close your eyes and imagine a red star. What did you see (scroll down for pictures of options).

[murf]

I had an uncle who once played for Red Star Belgrade
He said some things are really left best unspoken

[morganb]

I got the colour right but the 'wrong' number of points on my star! I also thought of Ken Livingstone.

[blahblah]

I'm missing any meaning and had 6...

[murf]

I'm missing any meaning and had 6...

Snap.

Just 6 pictures with number 6 being the red star. Then nothing happening if I click it.

[unc.si.]

Hmm.
I mean I can’t actually ‘see’ a star when I close my eyes. Not sure what’s ‘normal’ though.
It’s just dark when I shut my eyes. Can other people actually see things. I don’t even really know what that might mean.
Bit confused tbh

[Darbyand]

From here:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphantasia

This seems the key phrase:

This questionnaire invites the person to visualize a series of images (a relative, a rising sun, a shop they know, etc.) and rank how vivid the image is, from "perfectly clear and lively as real seeing" (5 points) to "no image at all, you only know that you are thinking of the object"

I can't do these visualisations.

[Zimmerman]

I just don’t ‘see’ anything when i try to imagine it.
Apparently it’s a condition that 1 in 50 experience (although from the twitter feed I saw it on... there’s a disparity in the responses and that figure).

More background here

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34039054

The guy in the article sounds a bit more extreme... eg i think I would be able to count sheep (as I think I can visualise that... or am i visualising a memory of seeing this somewhere)? Is that the same thing?

I can visualise my daughter and my partner for example. Sounds like he can’t. Although am I visualising them or almost remembering photos of them? Or remembering emotions they evoke in me, rather than actually ‘visualising’ them?

I also enjoy reading (at least I did, when I used to have time) and think that I was able to visualise the story without hinderance. So imaging a specific image/shape has thrown me a bit.

Starting to question whether i visualise anything or do I imagine a memory (is a memory different to visualising something)

Wonder if there is a link between those that can visualise being more creative types and those that can’t being more analytical types. Seem to think me and Darby are similar in our mindsets (from previous personality tests we’ve done on here in the past).


I’m guessing it’s completely unrelated... but I know there is a condition whereby some people ‘hear’ colours. Syd Barrett (Floyd) was someone.

[Darbyand]

Yep I think you once started an "are you on the spectrum thread"? Might be worth a bump. A quick dive into the world wide Web didn't take me too long to find links between ASD and this. Tried it on my son who has an actual Asperger's diagnosis, not just a web survey, and he couldn't do it.

[blahblah]

I'm not sure about the ASD Link to non-visual memory, but I have both too.

I first discovered this stuff through Neuro Linguistic Programming which focussed on eyes going up or down when asked to describe their garden, living room; and people will describe them very differently ie use words like tidy:messy, light\dark; cosy, warm\sparse, cold whereas people who see it use colours and things etc as they can see it.

Try it with: 30ish things on a tray that people can see for 30 secs and then cover with tea towel and get them to write down the items. Those that are the tray will wonder why more intelligent people are useless at it.....

[unc.si.]

I guess its hard to know whether you're different when you cant really know what others 'see'.

if I wanted to count sheep (and I'm not in a field of sheep at the time ) I don't really see sheep in my mind and count them, I just count. I don't really see pictures of anything in my head. I know what they look like but its not like theres a picture there that seems real. doesn't really seem to make any difference though.

Don't know. maybe thats why I'm crap at drawing

[blahblah]

Well if you can't see it in your head how can you draw it?

https://www.nlpworld.co.uk/nlp-glossary ... sing-cues/ happy reading

[bluenosey]

I was six too

The whole thread has got a bit complex and it's near to lunch, so I'm just visualising a mince pie at the moment.

[unc.si.]

Well if you can't see it in your head how can you draw it?

https://www.nlpworld.co.uk/nlp-glossary ... sing-cues/ happy reading

can't be arsed reading it to be honest

seems a bit pointless.

maybe im thinking about it all wrong anyway. I can remember conversations from years ago as long as I can remember where they took place. I can imagine how to solve complex problems or go through steps of how to do something in advance as well and tend to put things down in diagrams, so always thought must have quite a visual memory. I just cant close my eyes and see sheep or red stars. I can probably live with that.

anyway, not sure who really cares or what difference it makes. At my age I'm just glad I can remember what day it is

(I'm not actually that old. 50's the new 30...)

[Vid]

Surely whatever imagery you can 'see' requires it to have some sort of connection to 'you'? And you won't need to close your eyes to clearly visualize images that 'you' have strong feelings for.

Was considering and testing this earlier, but given that I was driving a 44 tonner at the time I did think it best to concentrate on the road ahead rather than bringing up images!

[blahblah]

Surely whatever imagery you can 'see' requires it to have some sort of connection to 'you'? And you won't need to close your eyes to clearly visualize images that 'you' have strong feelings for.

Was considering and testing this earlier, but given that I was driving a 44 tonner at the time I did think it best to concentrate on the road ahead rather than bringing up images!

I assume you see things etc in your memory\thought?