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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask you all about your minds eye?

342 replies

GrampieRabbit · 30/08/2017 18:16

I've had a really long running thread about this a few years ago, but I wanted to revisit it - firstly because I find it really interesting, and secondly for dissertation ideas Blush

So I don't have a minds eye. I couldn't picture a tree in my head, or a house, or my baby's face. I couldn't tell you 100% which colour my room is painted in, or what colour my dads car is. I literally think in words.

This means I have trouble with directions, even to places I've been several times. My memory is absolutely terrible - my long term memory is practically non existent.

Does anyone else experience similar? There's a test you can take here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-340390544*

I know I want to do my dissertation on this condition. I'm so fascinated by it, and have been ever since I realised it was actually a thing (on Mumsnet!)

But I want it to be on aphantasia AND something. I was thinking aphantasia and memory.

But I remember that last time I had a thread on this, Mumsnetters with aphantasia (and myself) read extraordinarily quickly, and always had done from a young age. So I was thinking maybe I could test the strength of participant's minds eyes (couldn't work out the grammar for that phrase!), and then timing them whilst they read something. But might have to include some comprehension questions I guess to check they've actually read it.

Then I started thinking about the fact that people said they had always read quickly - so is this something we're born with? Could I figure out a way to test kids for it? Maybe a little too complicated?

My dissertation proposal's due in a couple of days. It can be really vague - I could probably just get away with writing 'aphantasia', but I want to get paired with the most appropriate supervisor, hence the forward thinking. Am waiting on DD to go to bed then I'll research some more, but these are just some initial ideas.

Please, please share your experiences of aphantasia and thoughts on interesting dissertation ideas Smile

OP posts:
Original poster
GrampieRabbit · 30/08/2017 22:14

I can visualise walking through a forest, a completely made up one and it's just as good as if I was there.

This must be so cool Sad makes me sad sometimes.

OP posts:
HemanOrSheRa · 30/08/2017 22:19

You need to get this thread saved Grampie. It is fascinating and maybe of help to you Smile.

I'm going to ask a weird question now Blush. Say, if a MNetter posts a photo of a cat/dog or you see something on FB, can anyone else feel the pet? Don't just look and go awww but feel it? (in their head somehow, obviously). I do this and I wonder if posters who frequent the Doghouse and Litter Tray do this.

Miserylovescompany2 · 30/08/2017 22:19

I have a delay in recognising faces - my long-term memory is pretty good on certain things- short-term memory is shite - takes me longer to process information.

I have the ability to replay things through my mind. I can't do it straight away, it normally takes a week to access the memory again. Once accessed I can remember tiny intricate details of the surrounding areas.

PinkGlitter17 · 30/08/2017 22:21

I'll ask my daughter. She is 8, reading since about 3, current reading age is about 12/13, very fast reader. I wonder about her mind's eye?

Original poster
GrampieRabbit · 30/08/2017 22:22

You need to get this thread saved Grampie. It is fascinating and maybe of help to you .

How do I do this please? I want to come back to it and ask everyone to do my test! Otherwise I'm going to have to start yet another aphantasia thread in a few months with a shameless plug BlushGrin

OP posts:
mikeyssister · 30/08/2017 22:23

I was explaining to DD how a friend had bought a new car and insisted it was the same colour as her previous car. I said it was totally different, the first was a really bright cherry red and the new car was a duller shade, (kind of like the box around Share on Google +1 below).

Anyway I pointed out two different colours to DD to illustrate my point, she insisted they were the same, I insisted they were different. I've seen discovered that people see colours differently too,

KakunaRattata · 30/08/2017 22:23

Well this whole thread has started some interesting debate here tonight. I'm happy to be contacted as part of your dissertation.

PinkGlitter17 · 30/08/2017 22:25

moonlight, I'm like you. I was an early, precocious reader, and my mind's eye is strong. I also identify with the thing of seeing words when listening to the radio.

MrsJamesAspey · 30/08/2017 22:27

I have very vivid dreams but people in my dreams never look quite right, I'll know the person is my DP or my sister but their appearance will be only 50% correct and if the dream is based somewhere familiar then the details will always be wrong, but I thought this was normal for dreams???

OutwiththeOutCrowd · 30/08/2017 22:28

A friend of mine, who was a hypnotherapist, told me that he actually wasn’t very good at visualising. He only realised his relative lack of ability in this department when he talked to his clients about what they had experienced - and was surprised by how vividly some of them could picture the scenes he described when he himself was relying more on words than images.

NC4now · 30/08/2017 22:28

I have a very vivid minds eye. I picture people, places, memories, scenarios etc.
I'm a really vivid dreamer too.

OP do you dream in pictures?

I also have a great memory for words. Head full of song lyrics and quotes. Fast reader.
Not sure where that sits with your theory though.

kooshbin · 30/08/2017 22:29

I don't think I have much of a mind's eye.

I have not yet read the whole thread. I'm just placemarking so I can find the thread again tomorrow. This is a fascinating thread and responses I've read so far have given me much to think about.

But just to throw out another possible idea: I wonder how much education and/or family encouragement plays a role? I started primary school in the mid-1950s and I don't recall any encouragement of imagination, nor was there any at home - but that could have been the post-war effect.

On the (possibly) other hand, in recent times I've done online tests for autism in females and I score high.

thereareworsethingsicoulddo · 30/08/2017 22:30

Wow I also didn't know this was a thing and thought it was just me! Blush
I've always loved reading/been a quick reader (did a degree in literature) and great at facts and quizzes but really shit at recognising people! Like if there's someone in a film I couldn't tell you who they are but if someone tells me their name I can tell you their entire filmography. Great to know I'm not the only one!!
Good luck with the dissertation OP! And thanks for making me aware of this- off to speed read Google

HemanOrSheRa · 30/08/2017 22:31

Hmmmm. I'm not sure Grampie. I'm thinking about it being easily available to you to refer back to. I will 'report' it to MNHQ for you to see what they say Smile. Also, I agree with Kakuna. Very interesting thread.

DamnDeDoubtanceIsSpartacus · 30/08/2017 22:32

This thread is so interesting, I had no idea this was a thing. I'm a movie in my head kinda girl, but I also have rubbish spacial awareness and read very fast.

I get a bit lost in my head sometimes as fantasy life can be so detailed and real.

Is it something one can learn or do we all just think the way we think?

ringle · 30/08/2017 22:34

Another one here but I have improved since getting a paid role in a school (you can't tell a child you don't know who they are and you can't use mnemonics, you just have to rest your eyes on their face and let the image sink in).

I felt like it was a weak muscle I was just starting to exercise late in life.

if bored I can run a whole symphony through my head....that's my thing.

Flopjustwantscoffee · 30/08/2017 22:37

I am a very fast reader and read from a young age, but I can also picture things in my head quite well (although don't have a particularly accurate visual memory I can imagine all sorts). I do however have awful face blindness. I struggle to recognize even familiar faces, and can't picture peoples faces in my minds eyes at all unless they are connected to a strong emotion and even then Ithink it's more abstract than other people's.

UnicornTears · 30/08/2017 22:38

I just took the test on the bbc website link you posted OP and i scored 14/40.. so i think this means i am more than likely suffering from it too? It sort of makes sense because im trying my best to picture my mums face and im really struggling. Like i know what it is meant to look like hieght and hair wise but i cant get my head to process her face properly like im missing things out and her face isnt complete and is like low resolution, faded? So interesting, good luck with your dissertation hun im sure it will be fab x

ringle · 30/08/2017 22:38

OP do you know of any evidence about capacity to improve/what improves the aphantasia?

I spend time helping people who are "not musical" get more musical so I believe it can be done save in extreme cases.

DamnDeDoubtanceIsSpartacus · 30/08/2017 22:40

if bored I can run a whole symphony through my head....that's my thing.

How utterly wonderful!

WellThisIsShit · 30/08/2017 22:41

Learning and the mind eye?

Analyse learning styles / cognitive abilities within a spread of people:

  • who have no 'minds eye' at all
  • a very strong minds eye (to the detriment of other skills perhaps?i.e. Verbal/ auditory types of learning / memory?)
  • and then what about other 'extremes' such as the face blindness phenomenon... and my personal interest, synthesia?
ringle · 30/08/2017 22:42

:)

UnicornTears · 30/08/2017 22:42

Also OP, i recently took an online test for autism and scored high. Have you took one? Could it be related? x

hana32 · 30/08/2017 22:44

A pp asked about aphantasia and face blindness - I certainly have that too, to some degree. I often struggle to recognise people I've only met once or twice, especially if in a group of people who share similar features (e.g. People of the same gender of a similar age with similar length and colour of hair).

If someone I've met a few times and would normally recognise them changes something about themselves - say, hairstyle - that can throw me off and delay my recognition quite a bit.

I can't picture anyone's faces in my mind's eye, not even my child, which does make me a bit sad!

PinkGlitter17 · 30/08/2017 22:45

Just realised that I also reel off acronyms in my head - part of sometimes seeing words while they are being said. Like, there's a thread I was just reading, and I suddenly got a strong urge to ask the OP whether her husband is called Matt, as the post was entitled 'Music All The Time' (OP's DH puts music on to accompany every single task he does!). Music All The Time = M.A.T.T.

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