3 ms·

Umm... Are you sure you don't have aphantasia? When I've asked a room full of people "close your eyes. Think of an elephant. What do you see?", 80% of the peop

Umm... Are you sure you don't have aphantasia? When I've asked a room full of people "close your eyes. Think of an elephant. What do you see?", 80% of the people say "I see a rough elephant". I've asked "do you really see it? Like, there are proportions, colors, etc.?" Most people say yes. When I close my eyes and I do this, I see... nothing but dark eyelids with sparkles. Are the other people I've asked this of lying? Or are you mistaken that normal people don't have a mind's eye which actually reproduces images? EDIT: OK, I'm curious. I've created an HN poll. Obviously our readership isn't an unbiased sample, but I'm very interested to learn how different people experience this experiment. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38660632 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38660632

bongodongobob 3y ago
The problem is what you mean by "see". It's not using your vision so there's no "overlay" as I'm assuming people expect. Unless someone has been diagnosed with an MRI, I'm not buying it. Edit: I didn't make my point clear. I think that people who claim to have aphantasia expect to see a hallucinated overlay over their vision, which is obviously not what someone means when they say "imagine what an apple looks like".
- Broken_Hippo 3y ago
  It's not using your vision so there's no "overlay" as I'm assuming people expect. Speak for yourself. Just because it doesn't happen to you doesn't mean it doesn't to others. This is a skill you might be able to develop, if you can visualize already. If you lack resources, you might visit various occult groups for tips. Visualisation is a big part of practice for some people. An MRI will not "diagnose" you.
  - bongodongobob 3y ago
    Google aphantasia MRI.
    - Broken_Hippo 3y ago
      Ok. I did. "Yet, there is no consensus on whether aphantasia should really be described as a 'condition', and there is no battery of psychometric instruments to detect or 'diagnose' aphantasia. Instead, researchers currently rely on the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) to 'diagnose' aphantasia." [1] There is not a test that can realistically be relied on. At least one of the top results was someone getting an MRI because of sudden aphantasia. At least one of them was about mouse studies. And I'll just go back to what I've said: You can't get diagnosed with an MRI, and honestly it'd probably be irresponsible to do so since folks with actual issues need the MRI (aphantasia generally seems to be a simple difference in the way one thinks rather than an actual condition. More akin to which hand is dominant than to anything physically wrong). [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8186241/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8186241/
      - bongodongobob 3y ago
        I completely agree and think it's nonsense.
- goatlover 3y ago
  The visual experience happens in your brain, not your eyes. There's multiple ways to have a visual experience. It doesn't have to come from the optic nerve.

bongodongobob 3y ago

The problem is what you mean by "see". It's not using your vision so there's no "overlay" as I'm assuming people expect. Unless someone has been diagnosed with an MRI, I'm not buying it. Edit: I didn't make my point clear. I think that people who claim to have aphantasia expect to see a hallucinated overlay over their vision, which is obviously not what someone means when they say "imagine what an apple looks like".

Broken_Hippo 3y ago
It's not using your vision so there's no "overlay" as I'm assuming people expect. Speak for yourself. Just because it doesn't happen to you doesn't mean it doesn't to others. This is a skill you might be able to develop, if you can visualize already. If you lack resources, you might visit various occult groups for tips. Visualisation is a big part of practice for some people. An MRI will not "diagnose" you.
- bongodongobob 3y ago
  Google aphantasia MRI.
  - Broken_Hippo 3y ago
    Ok. I did. "Yet, there is no consensus on whether aphantasia should really be described as a 'condition', and there is no battery of psychometric instruments to detect or 'diagnose' aphantasia. Instead, researchers currently rely on the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) to 'diagnose' aphantasia." [1] There is not a test that can realistically be relied on. At least one of the top results was someone getting an MRI because of sudden aphantasia. At least one of them was about mouse studies. And I'll just go back to what I've said: You can't get diagnosed with an MRI, and honestly it'd probably be irresponsible to do so since folks with actual issues need the MRI (aphantasia generally seems to be a simple difference in the way one thinks rather than an actual condition. More akin to which hand is dominant than to anything physically wrong). [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8186241/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8186241/
    - bongodongobob 3y ago
      I completely agree and think it's nonsense.
goatlover 3y ago
The visual experience happens in your brain, not your eyes. There's multiple ways to have a visual experience. It doesn't have to come from the optic nerve.