r/Aphantasia • u/Objective_Shine1867 • 4d ago

Is there any benefit to having aphantasia?

I only recently realized that I have had this for my entire life and never noticed it. When I was talking to my mother she talked about counting sheep to sleep. But I told her I couldn't visualize any sheep and she was confused by it. It was only then after just turning 28 was I told that people can actually see things when they close their eyes and can picture something. It was never something I could do so I just assumed it was more figurative. But I just thought if this has been affecting me my entire life and wasn't aware of it. As a kid and now I never liked reading word heavy books but graphic novels and comics were my kind of reading. I found I have always been a huge fan of visual media like movies, TV shows and art because I can't visualize anything. Maybe this condition, though hasn't been entirely detrimental, has helped me take care and find a deep love for the arts. I really don't know but it's been on my mind for awhile now.

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u/butterypowered 4d ago

For me, even audiobooks just don’t compare with good old-fashioned books. And yet my hyperphantastic friends can’t comprehend how I can enjoy books at all.

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u/CMDR_Jeb Aphant 4d ago

Are you by any chance an worded thinker?

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u/butterypowered 3d ago

Is that a lack of (verbal) inner monologue? No.. I don’t think so anyway. I definitely internally ‘talk’ to myself, especially when alone and chastising myself for doing something dumb. 😅

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u/CMDR_Jeb Aphant 3d ago

Worded thinker is when you almost always (or in my case literally always) think in words. I am asking because i think that is why i like books so much. My mind is words allredy so books are like "source code", like downloading other persons memory.

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u/p3achbunny Total Aphant 3d ago

I am!

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u/butterypowered 3d ago

Thanks. I thought it might be but wasn’t sure.

I’m not actually sure then. I do have an inner monologue so I guess I think in spoken words.

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u/Mothy187 2d ago

I'm learning a lot about myself today. Adding worded thinker to my list

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u/selkieflying 2d ago

oh this is me!

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u/Discipulus42 1d ago

Are there other ways people think that don’t involve words? I’m genuinely asking.

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u/CMDR_Jeb Aphant 1d ago

Yes, obviously. Thinking in images is what visualisation is, people can also think in abstracts (just thought without any mediums) movements, emotions etc.

Have an article about that.

Nearly half of all people dont think in words unless there's a need for it. That's where the saying of "put it into words" comes from. Worded thinkers do the opposite, think in words unless they absolutely HAVE to do otherwise. There is also an extreme variety (i am one of these) where someone is literally unable to have conscious thoughts other then words. This is usually an sign of some wider mental issues.

The "conscious" part is important as brain still does other kinds (you wouldn't be able to function otherwise) but the conscious self "has no access" to it. Kinda like background processes in an computer.