Aphantasia

Aphantasia is the suggested name for a condition where one does not possess a functioning mind's eye and cannot visualize imagery. The phenomenon was first described by Francis Galton in 1880, but has remained largely unstudied since. Interest in the phenomenon renewed after the publication of a study conducted by a team led by Prof. Adam Zeman of the University of Exeter, which also coined the term aphantasia. Research on the subject is still scarce, but further studies are planned.

The phenomenon was first described by Francis Galton in 1880 in a statistical study about mental imagery. Galton described it as a common phenomenon among his peers. However, it remained largely unstudied until 2005, when Prof. Adam Zeman of the University of Exeter was approached by MX, a man who seemed to have lost the ability to visualize after undergoing minor surgery. Following publication of MX's case in 2010, Zeman was approached by a number of people claiming to have had a lifelong inability to visualise. In 2015 Zeman's team published a paper on what they termed "congenital aphantasia", sparking renewed interest in the phenomenon now known simply as aphantasia. Research on the subject is still scarce, but further studies are being planned.

In April 2016 an essay by Blake Ross was published on Facebook, describing his own aphantasia and his realisation that not everyone experiences it. His account gained wide circulation on social media. The 2017 novel All Things New by Lauren Miller features a young female protagonist who acquires aphantasia as a result of a traumatic brain injury from a car accident.

An Aphantasia Awareness day has also been established by the online aphant community. The day decided was the 18/08 to commemorate Galton who first described the phenomenon in 1880

Aphantasia is similar to invisible disabilities such as color blindness, face blindness, word blindness, and tone deafness, though aphantasia itself has not been associated with any discomfort, distress, or functional deficits.

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