When the Mind Cannot Visualize
Psych 🧠- 473/500
Hey reader 👋
We usually think imagination lives only in the mind. But what if the way you imagine things or don’t quietly shapes how you feel your body, emotions, and even symptoms like fatigue or anxiety?
This research dives into that hidden mind–body link.
What is it?
This large-scale study explores aphantasia (little or no mental imagery) and hyperphantasia (extremely vivid imagery), and shows that mental imagery vividness is not just a cognitive quirk — it’s deeply tied to body awareness (interoception), emotional processing, neurodevelopmental traits, and early life experiences
Key Findings:
Mental imagery vividness shows an inverted U-shaped relationship with body perception:
Too little imagery → blunted bodily awareness
Too much imagery → amplified bodily sensations
People with aphantasia or hypophantasia reported:
Fewer cardiac and POTS-related physical symptoms
Higher ADHD and autism-related traits
Hyperphantasia was associated with:
Greater bodily sensitivity
Higher rates of joint hypermobility
Reduced imagery was linked to higher emotional neglect in childhood
Imagery vividness correlated with how people interpret fatigue, chest discomfort, and internal sensations
Mental imagery mediated the relationship between interoception, emotion, and symptom reporting
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What do I need to know:
Mental imagery is a core part of mind–body integration, not just visualization.
Both very weak and very strong imagery can distort how bodily signals are felt and interpreted.
Aphantasia may reduce symptom amplification but may increase reliance on external cues.
Hyperphantasia may heighten emotional and physical sensitivity.
Imagery differences overlap with neurodivergence (ADHD, autism), not pathology, but cognitive style.
Source:
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6110395