Mental imagery is not an on-off process; instead, it is a broad neural phenomenon that influences the way people perceive things, remember events, and imagine possibilities. The understanding of hyperphantasia vs aphantasia can help us understand why some people have rich internal images, whereas others reason mainly in words or abstract concepts. The distinction between these two processes is not related to intelligence or creativity levels, but to the way our brains form internal representations. The mental imagery spectrum can help understand the level of visual imagination in a person. 

Mental imagery spectrum refers to the range through which people differ in their capability to imagine internally. At one end is aphantasia, whereby people do not voluntarily produce mental imagery. The average level of imagery ability lies in the middle, whereby most people have some level of capability to imagine. Hyperphantasia is at the other end, where mental images seem very realistic. Voluntary mental imagery is more common among people, while no mental imagination might have an impact on how they learn.

Aphantasia is a condition where an individual has an inability to form images through visualization. The affected individuals can still think and even reason normally, but cannot create mental images. For those who need a detailed definition of aphantasia, there is a guide explaining what aphantasia is. In the realm of visualization, aphantasia is just one of many types of cognitive functioning.

The term hyperphantasia refers to extremely vivid and engaging mental imagery that can be almost perceived as reality. The people suffering from hyperphantasia experience very vivid sensations, emotions, and realistic mental pictures. Research done by Zeman et al. (2020) has played an important role in defining hyperphantasia as a phenomenon characterized by the complete opposite of imagery reduction. It is believed that hyperphantasia affects only a minority of the world’s population. However, unlike hallucinations, hyperphantasia still falls under the control of the individual, meaning that an individual realizes that the images are mentally created.

This analysis demonstrates why hyperphantasia vs aphantasia has nothing to do with “better” or “worse,” but rather different brain structures.

A standard approach for doing so would be taking the VVIQ (Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire) – it is used for assessing the vividness of visualizations in various contexts. Results can be used to position individuals on the mental imagery spectrum, ranging from poor visualization skills to highly vivid imagination. Additional self-test results provided by the hyperphantasia test online and memory exercises, such as those offered by memoryOS, can also contribute to a fuller picture of one’s mind.

The strength of imagery influences the way information is encoded and retrieved from memory. If vivid mental imagery is formed in one's mind, then they will prove to be more effective in visualizing, experiencing emotions, and moving through space. Weak imagery does not mean poor intelligence or learning capacity; it only shows that one uses different methods of thinking, such as verbal codes, logic, and abstraction. Imagery cognition studies have shown that both extremes of hyperphantasia and aphantasia can do just as well in memory tests when using the right techniques (Pearson et al., 2015; Keogh & Pearson, 2018).

Many individuals have come to realize that knowing where they fall on the spectrum of mental imagery is beneficial for enhancing self-awareness and learning processes. People who have aphantasia may find the use of note-taking structures and semantics beneficial. Hyperphantasia individuals tend to require regulation of the level of emotions, as well as the distractions caused by the images. There is also research about the relationship between aphantasia and creativity. Creativity does not depend on mental imagery alone. Both extremes of hyperphantasia and aphantasia may do well if they utilize their strengths.

Q1: What percentage of people have hyperphantasia?

Approximately 3% of people are estimated to experience hyperphantasia, placing it at the extreme vivid end of the mental imagery spectrum.

Q2: Is hyperphantasia an advantage?

It can support creative fields, but may also intensify emotional imagery and intrusive thoughts in some individuals.

Q3: Can you train yourself to have more vivid mental imagery?

Research suggests imagery vividness can be improved through practice, visualization training, and attention exercises, but moving fully from aphantasia to hyperphantasia is not currently considered possible.