←back to thread

Some people can't see mental images

(www.newyorker.com)
183 points petalmind | 1 comments | 30 Oct 25 17:45 UTC | HN request time: 0.211s | source
Show context
sharkjacobs ◴[30 Oct 25 18:14 UTC] No.45763206[source]▶
> He knew, of course, that people talked about “picturing” or “visualizing,” but he had always taken this to be just a metaphorical way of saying “thinking.” Now it appeared that, in some incomprehensible sense, people meant these words literally.

This is the quintessential aphantasic experience. I still struggle to believe that other people "see" things in their heads.

replies(6): >>45763266 #>>45763329 #>>45763380 #>>45763403 #>>45763475 #>>45763546 #
ivape ◴[30 Oct 25 18:26 UTC] No.45763380[source]▶
So, if you watch a poor person begging for food on the street, how do you process that in the future? Do you rely on the remembered feeling and literal observation in words? How do you not remember what you saw?
replies(4): >>45763664 #>>45763686 #>>45766717 #>>45766770 #
1. maximus-decimus ◴[30 Oct 25 23:35 UTC] No.45766717[source]▶
How will you remember this comment in 2 hours? Will you visually see the words? You don't need to visually see something that happened to remember it happened or the idea of it. I don't need to visualize Harry Potter in my head to remember the fact he has a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. I just remember the fact.