Aphantasia Research Project
Think back to your last summer holiday or the birth of your child: What happens when you close your eyes and think about it? Do you perhaps see the sun over the sea or hear the sound of the waves? Can you feel the tiny body lying in your arms?
The ability to reactivate such experiences is based on sensory representations that most people can generate voluntarily - even when no external stimulus is present. The strength of such representations varies between individuals, so that some people report to have very vivid images in their minds, while others claim to have no sensory imagery at all. This phenomenon is known as aphantasia.
If you would like to keep up to date with our research, find out about ongoing studies or are interested in participating in a study, you are welcome to register in our
subject database.
Consequences of aphantasia
Previous research has shown that aphantasia influences a variety of sensory, cognitive and emotional processes, which can affect the processing of complex stimuli and autobiographical memory, but also the responsiveness to emotional stimuli.
The Aphantasia Research Project Bonn is investigating these neurocognitive and neuroaffective functions as well as possible neurobiological mechanisms underlying aphantasia. In order to obtain a picture as comprehensive as possible, various methods are used, such as functional imaging (fMRI), behavioural experiments or the measurement of physiological reactions, such as the skin conductance response.
Publications
Our research team has already published several scientific papers on the topic of aphantasia, including publications on visual search, verbal and visual memory, empathy, face recognition and the pathological significance of aphantasia. Here you will find a selection of the corresponding publications:
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Krempel, R., & Monzel, M. (2024). Aphantasia and involuntary imagery. Consciousness and Cognition, 120, 103679. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2024.103679
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Monzel, M.*, Leelaarporn, P.*, Lutz, T., Schultz, J., Brunheim, S., Reuter, M., & McCormick, C. (2024). Hippocampal-occipital connectivity reflects autobiographical memory deficits in aphantasia. eLife, 13:RP94916. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.94916.1
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Monzel, M., Handlogten, J., & Reuter, M. (2024). No verbal overshadowing in aphantasia: The role of visual imagery for the verbal overshadowing effect. Cognition, 245, 105732. https://doi.org/10.1002/jnr.25262
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Monzel, M., Dance, C., Azañón, E., & Simner, J. (2023). Aphantasia within the framework of neurodivergence: Some preliminary data and the curse of the confidence gap. Consciousness and Cognition, 115, 103567. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2023.103567
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Monzel, M., Vetterlein, A., Hogeterp, S. A., & Reuter, M. (2023). No increased prevalence of prosopagnosia in aphantasia: Visual recognition deficits are small and not restricted to faces. Perception. https://doi.org/10.1177/03010066231180712
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Monzel, M., Keidel, K., & Reuter, M. (2023). Is it really empathy? The potential confounding role of visual imagery in self-reports of empathy. Journal of Research in Personality, e104354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2023.104354
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Monzel, M., & Reuter, M. (2023). Where’s Wanda? The influence of visual imagery vividness on visual search speed measured by means of hidden object pictures. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-022-02645-6
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Monzel, M., Vetterlein, A. & Reuter, M. (2022). No general pathological significance of aphantasia: An evaluation based on criteria for mental disorders. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12887
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Monzel, M., Mitchell, D., Macpherson, F., Pearson, J., & Zeman, A. (2022). Proposal for a consistent definition of aphantsia and hyperphantasia: A response to Dance et al. (2022) and Hinwar and Lambert (2022). Cortex, 152, 74–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2022.04.003
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Monzel, M., Vetterlein, A. & Reuter, M. (2022). Memory deficits in aphantasics are not restricted to autobiographical memory – Perspectives from the Dual Coding Approach. Journal of Neuropsychology, 16(2), 444–461. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnp.12265
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Monzel, M., Mitchell, D., Macpherson, F., Pearson, J., & Zeman, A. (2022). Aphantasia, dysikonesia, anauralia: call for a single term for the lack of mental imagery – Commentary on Dance et al. (2021) and Hinwar and Lambert (2021). Cortex, 150, 149–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2022.02.002
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Monzel, M., Keidel, K. & Reuter, M. (2021). Imagine, and you will find – Lack of attentional guidance through visual imagery in aphantasics. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-021-02307-z
In addition to our scientific publications, it is also important to us to inform the public about our work. A selection of journalistic articles and interviews can be found here:
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eLife (2024). Study finds link between functional brain connectivity and aphantasia. https://elifesciences.org/for-the-press/7ead8959/study-finds-link-between-functional-brain-connectivity-and-aphantasia
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Aphantasia Networtk (2023). Is Aphantasia a Disorder? https://aphantasia.com/video/aphantasia-is-not-a-disorder/
Cooperations: Aphantasia Network
The Aphantasia Network is a community-based organization dedicated to fostering awareness, providing support, and advocating for those with aphantasia. Aphantasia Network’s mission is to serve as a bridge between the latest scientific discoveries and personal experiences, offering our community profound insights into alternative ways of thinking, learning, and imagining. By fostering connections between groundbreaking scientific research and the lived experiences of individuals with aphantasia, we aim to discover how aphantasia affects various aspects of human life, including creativity, memory, emotional well-being, and more. The Aphantasia Network, in collaboration with research initiatives like the Aphantasia Research Project at the University of Bonn, plays a pivotal role in enhancing global aphantasia research efforts. Our Research Ambassador Program, featuring experts like Merlin Monzel, enhances this mission by integrating interdisciplinary perspectives and facilitating the spread of both academic knowledge and public awareness of aphantasia and its impacts.
