A decade of aphantasia research – and still going!

Abstract

Aphantasia, a term coined in 2015, refers to the lack of wakeful visual imagery. Research since then has clarified the nature of this intriguing variation in human experience. I review several unanswered questions which are currently under investigation. First, it appears unlikely that aphantasia is a single entity. If not, what are its subtypes? I consider 5 dimensions of variation that may be relevant. Second, given that people with aphantasia manage so well in everyday life, is it possible that they benefit from ‘unconscious imagery’? Third, what light does aphantasia shed on the functions of imagery? Finally, I emphasise the need to keep an open mind in this young area of research and point to its relevance to the debate surrounding introspection.