When your “mind’s eye” is blank: Understanding aphantasia, with Joel Pearson, PhD

The podcast explores aphantasia, the inability to visualize mental images, and its counterpart, hyperphantasia. Dr. Joel Pearson, a cognitive neuroscientist, explains that aphantasia affects an estimated 4-8% of the population, who experience a "black-on-black" mental screen. Objective measurements, including binocular rivalry, skin conductance, and pupil response tests, reveal neurological differences in individuals with aphantasia, such as variations in visual cortex size and activity. While aphantasia can impact emotional responses to fiction and memory recall, it doesn't hinder creativity. Research suggests potential links between strong imagery and certain psychological disorders, and interventions to train mental imagery are being explored, including image streaming techniques and psychedelic research.