Since the first time I described aphantasia and spoke about my experience with it, quite a lot of time has passed. Recently, I had a conversation with my mum about aphantasia, bringing it back to the forefront of my mind. Looking back on my original description of it, I wondered if it could be improved in any way. So, naturally, I checked to see if AI could describe aphantasia better than a person with aphantasia. Here's its attempt: "Aphantasia is a neurological condition where a person cannot voluntarily create mental images in their mind. This means that even when asked to visualize something, like a friend's face or a favorite vacation spot, they experience no mental pictures—it’s as if their "mind's eye" is blank." I then tried getting the AI to describe the Apple Test: "The "Apple Test" is a simple way to help people understand their ability to visualize mental images. It involves imagining an apple and describing what you "see" in your mind. For example, if you're asked to picture an apple, some people can "see" a detailed, colorful apple in their mind, complete with texture and shine. Others might see a vague outline, while people with aphantasia might not see anything at all—just darkness or nothingness. It's often used informally to explore visualization abilities and identify conditions like aphantasia." However, the AI was only covering things I'd already said. But, despite the knowledge things like AI have, nobody talks about aphantasia. That's because only about 3% of people have it. And this means that not many people understand what it means when people say that they have aphantasia. This is why I'm trying to educate people about what aphantasia is and what it can mean for the people who have it. > It DOES NOT make a person less creative. Having aphantasia only means that you cannot picture things, not that you can't think of things or come up with ideas. > It should not be used as an excuse to exclude people from creative activities. Aphantasia can make remembering what things look like more difficult, and make a person struggle to draw something from memory. But people with aphantasia can learn to draw things using muscle memory and reference images. And coming up with creative ideas is still very possible. > People with aphantasia DO NOT have a higher IQ. Whilst some scientific websites may claim this, you should not expect someone with aphantasia to be marginally better than someone who has hyperphantasia, simply due to the vividness of their mental imagery. > Only you can diagnose yourself with aphantasia. Doctors can't see inside of your brain and tell you if you have it as, even if you get some kind of brain scan, aphantasia has no specific sign in scans. It isn't due to a problem in the brain, it's genetic. In order to diagnose someone 'officially', humanity would need to get a whole lot more information about genetics than what we already have. And it's not worth it when you can simply use tests like the apple test or picturing a friend or family member's face to test if you have aphantasia yourself. > Aphantasia cannot always be trained away. Some people may be able to sharpen their mental imagery, but this is extremely rare. There are plenty of other facts I could share but I would run out of space with all of the misinformation I'd need to debunk.
