I CAN'T SEE PICTURES IN MY HEAD WHEN I READ // Being A Reader With Aphantasia 

wait a minute, you’re saying people actually see images in their minds when they read words?? when people say they see movies in their heads, they’re not just being metaphorical?? wttttfffffff.

For me it's like this: While reading I don't consciously "see" anything but rather feel and sense stuff, just like you described. But when I think about a book after I've finished it, I get flashes, isolated sounds, fragmented images that add up to a certain overall vibe. Like intense moodboards that my brain creates on its own ^^' Thank you for this video, it's so great and interesting to see people get talking about this topic!

I always struggle visualising people, especially faces, but I can't imagine not being able to see the environments in my head. This is such an interesting thing, and I really want to look through my psychology textbooks and see if they cover this!

ME TOO!!!! I can’t visualize at all. Even picturing a color isn’t a thing for me. So many people think I’m making it up. Thanks for dedicating a whole video to this!

this is really interesting. I'm able to picture most things but for me, characters just don't have a face, it's as if their face has been blurred out haha

Yep I think I have aphantasia. When I read, I can understand what is being described but I don’t actually see it in my minds eye. When I try to picture something, I can’t actually picture it, I just understand it again. I’m terrible at picturing faces, but when I actually see someone’s face in person, I usually remember them and can sometimes put a name to it. Also, and idk if this is connected, but I rarely dream (maybe I just forget the dreams); and when I do dream, it’s usually a nightmare, and it’s very blurry...it’s very weird 😅

I can only see partial images, so mine is like watching a movie that is blurry, but sometimes I just can't get visuals at all.

Thank you SO much for explaining this! This is my experience exactly and you articulated it so well. People do say "That's so sad" when I say I can't see things in my head, but I've never been able to explain how I do indeed follow storylines in my head regardless. I love that you say it's like knowing people are in a room with you even with your eyes closed and the information is just filed away as things KNOWN versus seen. SO true! Hazy picture sometimes, but yes, world building must be good!

Fellow person with aphantasia here! I remember knowing when I was younger that I couldn’t see anything when I tried to imagine something. But I tried to tell my mum and she basically didn’t believe me so I kind of forgot about it! I’m 30 now and still have ZERO minds eye. I really struggle recognising people and being a witness to a crime is literally my worst nightmare as I would not be able to describe the criminal at all. It’s weird because I’m an artist and a creative person which seems counterintuitive. The only time I can see things is when I dream. But yep...still learning about it. I find it really interesting

I'm a psychology researcher and this is what I study! My research looks at how people "become" a character in their mind while reading a book. I wrote about aphantasia in my dissertation 😁 so fascinating! Love that you made a video about this!

Wait, this is an actual thing? I am not a visual person at all, except when I dream. I love reading, but I never actually see things, I just ... I know that these things are there, I just don't *see* them.

I'm pretty much the same as you. I always joke that I'd be a useless witness to a crime because I wouldn't be able to describe anything! Your description of looking at the words but not seeing them was perfect- that's often how I realise that I'm not enjoying a book if I'm still conscious of the words.

Ive just discovered that people see actually images and it blows my mind, sounds like some sort of magic to me. I also enjoy reading and Im totally absorbed while doing it.

I have never thought about reading without seeing images, I imagine everything extremely vividly, it really is a movie in my head, I can't even comprehend how you can't see images😂😂😂

Mine is definitely like a movie, I’m standing amongst characters/scenes but not interacting, like a passive observer. I’ve always had a vivid imagination so I guess maybe it’s just a part of it all. Thank you for telling us about this, never knew this existed so thank you!!

I don't see anything while reading, but love to read. The one thing I notice though is that I skim over quickly any description of what things look like. When it goes on for two or three pages of what the scenery looks like, I just pull out main the things ( mountains, trees, clear summer day ) I don't need any other information and just move on to the speaking and feeling parts of the book.

i have this too. it made me cry when i found out lol ): it's made me feel better researching it & hearing the benefits of it though because i really felt like i was missing out. you described it so well! i have had some bizarre conversations with people who are so shocked by it. one major thing is that i love to draw & people can't understand how i can pull images out from a long term memory when there are no actual visuals there haha 😅 but i actual often do it from a reference picture too. i've heard also that people with aphantasia often make very good writers because they rely on words so much and can create great visuals for people who don't have it which is cool! sorry for the long comment :')

Um, I didn't know people seen pictures in there head! I don't see pictures I just read words lol.

I have aphantasia but my experience with reading is like my internal monologue (which is very active) is simply consuming the words on the page. I similarly zone out and I am appreciate you sharing your experience of reading even though it is hard to explain.

Omg thank you ! I really recognized myself (no visualisation, barely any dreams) ! It's just that I KNOW the stuff I'm thinking ahah I was really shocked that people actually see what they read and immediately questioned my rooomates about it, I'm still mindblown that our brains work so differently ! I agree a 100% that I'm not sad about it and I'm still a voracious and passionate reader, thank you for giving me a name for this 😊 Take care !

This is so interesting. When I read I usually see vague misty shapes and colours, sort of like when you're looking through a steamed up window, but then I'll get the occasional really clear image of a specific thing on top of a blurred background. I can never see faces, and characters in general tend to be like silhouettes, sometimes I can see clothes, especially in historical fiction / fantasy, which I think is linked to my interest in historical reenactment and replica clothing, so I have quite a lot of specific references I can overlay, if that makes sense? Weirdly, one of the things I see most clearly when I'm reading is whatever a character's hands are described as doing, so I'll often see just floating hands doing things.

WHAT. HOW. I've NEVER heard of this before today. have you had this your whole life since you were a kid? When I read it's definitely like a movie in my head.

I learned about “the mind’s eye” and aphantasia earlier this year. Being in my 30’s I realized why I have always struggled with reading books and being into it while reading, like in the moment. I can’t see anything when I am reading. It is like a pitch black curtain. More so if I close my eyes and think about a red apple for example I can’t see or picture it at all. Thank you for making this video and spreading awareness.

OMG I love you! You're awesome for reading so many books and just, not giving up on a hobby!

I like to tell people that I cant picture what's on the page but I understand and know what is being explained to me, its an understanding rather then imagining.

I had no idea people could see images that they read. This has blown my mind!

Omg same! You’ve explained this so well & I’m definitely going to start explaining it to people with the example of closing your eyes and knowing where a person is. I found out I have aphantasia last year and I was so sad that other people can see whole movies in their heads while reading (hooow!?). So thank you for putting this so positively! Liking good world building, atmosphere and personalities of characters is definitely a good thing 😊

I have this too! I totally connect with what you said about atmosphere and feeling things. You’re analogy about knowing if a person walks in front of you or behind you when your eyes are closed is a great way to describe it! I also think this is why I can’t draw or do artsy things 😂

Omg I’ve been meaning to make a video like this as so many people aren’t aware of aphantasia or how it does/doesn’t affect readers. It was super interesting hearing about how it manifests for you as our experiences are super different! Great video!

i dont see people at all! they are kinda just there, but i can picture the setting very well but its different from reality it feels more like a dream

DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I GASPED SEEING THE TITLE?????? I always thought “visualizing” was a figure of speech! I got a big fat zero on that test. I see black or floating colours (rarely) so I’m just so excited someone else has it!!! Like I usually just “know” what I’m thinking of and don’t see anything. I literally see the words and depending on the book I either literally just see the words and that’s it or do that zoning out you mentioned and know the concept of what’s going on. I know the vibe, the tone, etc, but I don’t see. Like I struggle with meditations that focus on seeing things because there’s nothing too... look at!!

When I read it is like an audiobook, my mental narrator reads the script and as I get into the book adopts to the voice of the words I am reading. I do not see images in my head at all, but I have unbelievable vivid dreams. When I wake up it is like only the script of the dream is there... occasionally I can get flashes of my dreams but not my day-to-day memories. When I draw or do art I know that a face is made of a circle, little rectangle, and triangle base but I cannot see that in my head it just exists as a fact. I also need a collage of images to draw from to create original art.

I never knew this was an actual condition but I am the same! I never picture things, I feel things. This was a fascinating video. Thanks!

This is so interesting. When it comes to memories, they play back like a movie for me. All the way down to smells and how things feel. But when I'm reading, I'm seeing the words. I can imagine what the words are saying if I stop and try, but I'm really only visual when it comes to memories. That test on the website said I was hyperphantasia, but that's because it was asking me to pull up memories, not really make up things in my head. When it asked me to imagine a mountain with trees and a lake, I just imagined one that I had been to and it was like I was standing right there even though I haven't been there in over 10 years. How strange.

This explains why I'm so sensitive to prose and word choice. Words are pretty much the main attraction for me: I hunt for wit, word play, and rhythm because of it.

Finally!!!! I always thought I was dumb you helped me gain my confidence 😭😭😭😭😭😭 I love reading but I can't imagine pictures or scenarios in my head and I was always so pissed about it

Wow! I absolutely love this video! I can't believe I found it! It sounds like you are talking about my experiences! Thank you so much for explaining!

Was so excited for this video!! 💗🌲💗 Ah, so your visual memory isn't really there often either. That's interesting. I relate to the atmosphere building rather than descriptive visual detail when I'm writing or watching a film that's how I recall, but I also visualise things too especially if I've seen it before.

OMG I am exactly the same!! Literally everything you say makes perfect sense! Xxx

I get occasional still picture images when reading but its usually a powerful image. Mostly I see the words in my head or I'm hearing the words as if someone is reading aloud to me.

This is actually SO INTERESTING

this is so interesting ashleigh! i often have the problem that i 'fill in the gaps' too quickly so i'll visualise all the characters and the setting and then when we get a more detailed description later on i'm like nooo but that's not what i've been visualising all this time!

Man, I have a similar reading experience! Part of it is my poor memory, but I could barely describe my mom, who hasn't really changed since I was a kid. But if I see a picture of her from this period, it would be easy to recognize her. The part where you go into a daze reading, I enter that so frequently!

This is actually really fascinating because I'm dyslexic and quite often people with dyslexia are picture thinkers so we generally don't think in words but will visualise ourselves doing things in our day to day lives so it's literally the complete opposite. When I actually managed to learn to read properly at the age of 15 (Ironically with the help of my friend who has Aphantasia) I became completely obsessed because I was able to actually see the things I was reading really vividly. So learning about how someone who doesn't think in pictures is very interesting. This video is fantastic and I really enjoyed it.

I absolutely love reading. I was just shocked as you guys. I can't imagine not visualizing the events in your heads. In my case, I can see new different world as I was reading. Can see how the characters look and how they are conversing with each other. It's like being in there but invisible. I can also feel how the characters felt. That's why I prefer to read alone co'z I might cry hahahaha

I think it’s soooo interesting to see how people read. I spoke to a friend about it because they aren’t a big reader and they can’t visualise the images, and when they asked me about it, I said it’s not being able to see everything for me at least, it’s like I’m in a blank white/cream room, and I can’t visualise minute details, it’s often two characters talking to each other and they’re blobs, no defining features, and the rooms start to come into definition, but they’re hazy around the edges. I don’t see everything in perfect detail, but it’s almost like a sketch that’s used by an artist before they build on it to make the art more defined and detailed. If that makes any sense at all

I am color- hungry. I enjoy thinking the names of colors. Red is an exciting word! "Blue" is a happy word, like a clear sky! I dream in color, but without being able to accurately reproduce someone's face.

I thought i was the only one, thank you for this❤️

Oh my gosh when you started talking about knowing the story but not remembering the specifics. 💡 And the fanart part! I Love looking up fanart but can't image how people come up with it. Randomly I dream super vividly and can day dream/visualize super vividly from my own imagination.

Great video! I don't have Aphantasia but I thought you did a fantastic job explaining everything!

I love this video, it’s so interesting to see how other people imagine things! I can’t visualise faces or people, and I have to focus really hard to imagine a setting, which are mostly based off places I’ve been. Even then it’s hard to visualise and it’s always from a distant perspective. It’s so hard to describe! I’m jealous of everyone who have movies in their mind when they read books but it’s threat how everyone sees it differently :)

Love this ❤️ Usually I find myself as the main character but I’m also watching it 😂 I can’t see faces too clearly but I’ll see the setting but not always what they’re wearing. My mind will usually make it up unless I’m told what they are wearing.

That’s soo interesting! I had no idea aphantasia existed. I dream very vividly, and I think I see things in my mind’s eye rather clear. I also didn’t realise this would affect other areas of life- eg when I go furniture or clothes shopping I always picture how it would look like in my room or with my other clothes, and I had no idea other people can’t see that. Very interesting!

This is the MOST interesting thing I've heard in weeks! 😲 I took the quiz - it says I'm probably "hyperphantasic," which I'm assuming is on the far other side of the spectrum. Not really surprising since the page & words completely disappear for me when I'm reading & I do see what's happening in the story. I do switch between BEING the pov character & just being an onlooker. I think it depends on how much I vibe with the writing style? I'm not sure. Anyway this was an incredibly interesting video. Thank you for sharing! 🤓

My mind it blown 🤯 I did not know that people were being literal when they said they see a movie in their head! I feel like you explained it so well about just building an atmosphere!!! Loved your metaphor of knowing where someone is walking with your eyes closed. I actually dream a lot tho lol- this was such an interesting video ❤️

It might feel like stumbling, but it was stumbling in the same way I'd have described it, which is successful communication. Thanks for a useful angle that mirrors my experience.

This was so interesting! I know I tend to have a hard time picturing specifics especially with faces and clothing. it’s usually just kind of a blurry vague image. I never put a lot of thought of how other people would have a different ways of visualizing or enjoying a story. thank you for sharing!

When people say "picture this" I always just assumed it was a metaphor until I found out about my Aphantasia

I have aphantasia too and the first time you mentioned it, I was so surprised because its quite rare to find people with this experience. When I imagine something, I see something in front of my eyes but I'm still quite aware of my surroundings. I definitely agree about the art thing, because despite wanting to study a very creativity focused thing (Interior Design), I struggle with creating a unique design, because my brain needs a reference. As for the writing, it doesn't affect it too much. The inside of my mind is a never ending monologue, so you might say thay I have a good way with creating sentences etc. But I do struggle with descriptions, and I do admit that I completely ignore them on my WIP. I agree about the fanarts too; I just skim over them because I can't imagine it anyway. (I was thinking of Harper from A Torch Against the Night as a 50 year old man, until I realized whose love interest he is, and I had to adjust my expectations.) And I realize it's becoming long, but there's one last thing. I believe that aphantasia is the reason why I prefer books over movies/TV shows, because as I mentioned before, my brain works better with words. And in bookish adaptations, I want it to be as acurate as possible to the source material because I haven't seen it as a movie in my head.

This is such an interesting video! I can see some vague and fuzzy images while I’m reading but most of the time I just get more of a vibe and feelings and take in the atmosphere rather than being able to picture stuff. I had no idea that this was a thing that had a name!

I can visualize what I'm reading but the images sometimes have a mind of their own. I once read a book that descibed the antagonist as blonde, but for some reason I always visualized her with black hair. Threw me off completely every time I came across a reference to her hair. The degree of detail also varies a lot. Usually the more I enjoy a book, the more I see, but not always. Sometimes I can see it all, sometimes I just have a vague idea. Faces are also odd. I see their expressions but not their features, which I know doesn't make sense.

I have never thought about this but some of it you are talking about fits me. I remember a face when I see it but I can’t describe it

I could never see pictures in my head when I read and I love reading. I just find it hard to focus. I zone out too!!! I have to reread a lot. And I just know what’s happening in the book. I don’t get confused with storylines unless there’s a lot of characters and the book is boring.

That's so interesting! Didn't knew that aphantasia is a thing. I'm now thinking about how I read and I think, that I have a little bit of aphantasia, because reading for me is more feeling than visuals as well! Need to investigate further though 🤔

Me too!!!!! Everyone gets so shocked!

that was so interesting, i always assumed we all saw books as films in our heads! while reading i feel as if i am in another world completely and i am inside the story somehow

Haha you made me question my ability to imagine things in my head because I realize I often don't clearly imagine characters, but I do have a vague idea of what they look like 🙈 I have very vivid setting imagery in my head all the time though. I recently realized that atmosphere in books is very important to me for that exact reason. I'm also an artist so it's a little concerning realizing that I don't picture characters that well 😱 but I relate to what you said about fan art 💯, it definitely clicks and makes sense (or doesn't), I just don't realize it before I'm told who it is

Well, in my case it's not just watching a movie in my head, it's also living it. I easily see images (not in HD ofcrs 😂 sometimes very blurry) but I often make some effort to smell, taste and feel the details. The more effort I make the more I exercise my memory. But this sounds to me like reading some non-fiction. When I read about certain concepts, I zone out thinking about it without necessarily picturing anything, yet still something is happening in my brain.

I have aphantasia as well and love to read now! I did struggle growing up but a bit over 5 years ago I really wanted to get into reading, I always had but struggled with comprehension, so I just...did. And found booktube then. It got easier over time and now I love reading so much! I didn't know about aphantasia at the time so I thought I thought like everyone else. When I learned about aphantasia a few years ago it took me awhile to believe people were being literal about visualizing things in their heads! lol I thought it was metaphors, not literal. And I agree, it frustrates me when people are like "that's so sad" and "How can you enjoy reading". I don't find it sad (I also have PTSD and thinking about it I think aphantasia in my case is a huge blessing! I LIKE having aphantasia. I just think it has pros and cons, just like being able to visualize) and I LOVE reading, no visualizing required! I usually do just see the words, if i'm paying attention. I do sometimes zone out (I don't see anything when I do that, not even real life, just black/nothing and am typically thinking of things unrelated to the story) but when I do that and realize i've read while zoned out I have to go back and reread what I read but wasn't paying attention to because I won't have remembered a word of it! I do sort of "feel" the atmosphere and world while I read. I can't "see" any of it but I just sort of...know it's there. I can feel it but it's like a computer screen hooked up a computer that's on but the screen is off, black, but it's still on. The stuff is still there. I've heard it described like that before and it makes the most sense for me. I forget details too. I remember how a story made me feel, how I felt about the characters. I'll forget what they looked like, what they wore etc. But emotions, how I felt, that I remember. I've read and enjoyed The Night Circus too but can't remember it at all now! I read it physically awhile ago, just once. I got it on audio for a reread at some point. Audio books are difficult for me but I find it's easier if i've already read it physically first. I wouldn't be able to tell who it is in fanart either! If you told me the name i'd be like "Oh, yeah!" as well but I wouldn't know from a picture. I love art too and also always need a reference. Sorry i'm just so excited to finally hear from someone else on booktube with aphantasia I keep pausing to add more to the comment! :D I do dream most nights. I just usually can't remember my dreams for long but they are vivid. A lot of people with aphantasia that i've heard from (I'm in facebook groups, on twitter..) still dream visually and all that. Apparently (just from what i've heard) the part of the brain that visualizes while asleep is different from the part that does it while awake. I did recently ask my husband (who does not have aphantasia) if he believes it's real when he dreams, it had come up in a group I think. He usually knows he's dreaming....I NEVER know i'm dreaming, until I wake up and i'm either A Whew! Glad that was just a dream! B Aww, I wish that had been real or C What the heck was that dream? XD When i'm asleep and dreaming I believe it's real life, until I wake up and reality tells me otherwise. So I thought that was interesting. While i'm awake though I can't visualize at all and never have. I used to write sim stories when I played Sims all the time. I'd take in game pictures, sometimes setting them on purpose and sometimes going with what the game gave me, and make stories out of them. I'm not sure what to think of that but I find it interesting. I've written before (even non-sim stories) but never finished anything lol. I do want to write a story and finish it! That "Reading is like watching a movie in your mind" never made sense to me (until I learned about aphantasia) and neither did "The characters aren't how I saw them in my head!" about book to movie adaptations. When I heard about aphantasia it took me awhile to realize it was real because I kept thinking "That's how EVERYONE thinks. It's ALL metaphorical, not literal! No one sees pictures in their head when they are awake!" and it took me a very long time to realize people actually do and i'm the odd one XD lol. With faces when I see someone I know I recognize them with no problem (not sure how that works but face blindness is a real thing but different from aphantasia) but I can't describe anyone's face, not even my husband's who I see everyday, unless i'm looking right at them. Too much description can bore me sometimes. It's like...I can't see any of it and I don't care what it looks like since I can't see it...I just wanna know about the characters, their feelings, their lives. I don't really need world building or description that much. I just need characters. I cry easily at books and feel strong emotions while reading. For me reading is incredibly emotional and feeling based. I don't even understand what you mean by "hazy". I don't see anything in my head. Nothing. It's not even black really, nothing is there. I don't know how to describe it.

I've never thought about what "perspective" I see things through while reading, that's really interesting! for me, I think it's mostly like I'm an invisible omniscient presence while reading - like I'll see the landscape/surroundings/characters from all kinds of angles (if a room is being described, sometimes it's as if I'm standing in the middle of it, and other times like I'm looking at the whole room at once from above, etc., and I can switch at any time), but I'm not interacting with anything or imagining myself physically standing there. but other times, I will see certain scenes from the perspective of a given character - say, if Daenerys Targaryen is having a conversation with Jorah Mormont, I'll see Jorah as if I'm looking through Dany's eyes, but then it can switch to where I see both of them and am observing the conversation from the outside. and rereading old favorites kind of feels like coming home, because I've "been to" all of those places before; the sights and sounds and smells are familiar to me, and I'm excited to be back "in them," if that makes any sense. it's so interesting how different this is from person to person, and how we all kind of just assume everyone's experiences are the same as our own until someone says otherwise, then it's a shock ahkjasdf. thank you for a great discussion video about this!! 💜

I can totally relate! I don’t have this but I definitely don’t see as well as “normal” it takes me a while to find a picture in my brain but I can do it. I totally understand that haze and the fact that the characters are just there existing lol

This is so interesting! I can't picture characters' faces, but I can usually picture the environment and the characters' bodies. It's like there's just a blur where their face is, with the correct eye color and face shape but blurred out all the details.

I feel this.

I am exactly the same, however, I didn't know it was a thing until a year or 2 ago. I always just pretended as a kid when I was told to "close my eyes and picture..." I could never see anything and thought I was just supposed to make stuff up. I never put it together with how I couldn't picture characters and what-not while reading, until Rachel Heine talked about having Aphantasia during the Nerdist book club, and I was like, "Hey, Thats me!"

I am totally immersed, it’s like I’m there but as an overseer and am watching everything as it happens.

This was such an interesting video thank you for sharing! I've never fully understood the movie in your head analogy either. For me it's like seeing a graphic novel in my head I guess? I see static images that are like freeze frames of a movie rather than actual full motion picture style movies in my head if that makes sense 😂

I fell this so much 😭 thank you for making this video! I‘m very much alike you but I don’t have that reading sensation of being totally absorbed I don’t think. I also never really visualised anything I think. I so wish I could visualise everything happening in books 🙈 I rarely dream, too, I don’t know what characters look like, I don’t remember their clothes or details (often not even names or anything), I can’t imagine scenes afterwards and all that 🙈 I am sure writing wouldn’t be a problem, I’ve even seen artists who draw with aphantasia. I don’t have good face recognition either or can come up with mental images of people. The whole topic is just sooo interesting

This is so interesting! I find I picture people and places quite vividly but I can't really visualize movement very well. Like rather than seeing a movie in my head, it's more like still photographs of each scene. Sometimes I get quite confused when I realize the characters have been moving through the scene and I can no longer picture where they are in space or in relation to other things. I have to stop and readjust my mental image when that happens!

I realized I struggle most with people. I do alright with general landscape and buildings and layouts, but people are blurry. Which is why fanart is truly amazing for me. 😅 Thank you for this. Very interesting. 😄

This is interesting. I’ve never heard of this before. I tend to be very visual in my head so I do usually see the story like a movie. It’s always weird tho when I see fan art & the character looks different than I imagined. 🖤🖤🖤

I can picture everything - setting, characters, etc - but they aren't life-like, it's like I'm watching an animated movie? And I'm usually out of the scene, watching everything from above - like I'm sitting on the top of a building or something. My imagination is quite specific! And thank you so much for sharing your experience in this video, it was really interesting!

This is really interesting as visualising is something I really struggle with when reading, however I am an illustrator so can visualise ideas and such and am also an extremely vivid dreamer. I think my struggle with imagining what im reading is more to do with my attention issues and I have to read every individual word to take things in so then there's almost no attention left to focus on what that looks like. For example when I listen to audiobooks or stop to think what has just happened in the previous paragraph I can see a haze of what happened. Like a fog but with the particularly descriptions within the fog rather than a whole world of description. But yeahh I have to read every single word so im slow but enjoy reading :)

55 years old, just found out I'm a total Aphant. Big black void when I try to picture. But I'm a voracious reader, I used to be unable to not read even the ingredients on the cereal box on the kitchen table of its in front of me. But yeah, I don't picture anything in the book, but I build the verbal description of a character or place. So wild to have my world view turned upside down. 😅 I rarely ever dream and I've never seen a person's face in my dreams, that I can actually remember when I wake. I've told my wife how weird it is to never see the face of characters, it's like the person turns to see you, and it's just in the dark and shadow blocks me from seeing. But every dream no matter what the scene of the dream is, the faces are blank. Now I know why.

This is so interesting! Me and my best friend recently discovered that she has this, and we were so fascinated trying to describe to each other how we imagine things lol. When I'm reading I visualise everything as if I'm an onlooker but I can't picture faces at all

ong the moment when you said you don't see friends and family in your head actually broke my heart. I can't imagine not being able to do that. As for reading, for me I think it can depend on the book, scene etc, how into it I am, a really good book means I am no longer seeing the words at all and I'm in the world seeing it all (as a bystander), i love it when that happens. One downside of visualising, actually, is that I can get stuck if it's not clear where things are, (one reason I love maps in books) - including the layout of a room etc. If I'm left to imagine it myself and then the writer throws a curveball, say it turns out the window is on the other side of the room, it really bugs me and i struggle to put it right in my mind's eye haha. It's also one reason I'm usually v nervous about movie or TV adaptations, because of course it's always going to be very different to how i imagine it.

I didn't even realize that it was uncommon not to see mental images while reading. I'm the only reader in my friend group, the only other big reader I know is my dad and he doesn't see mental pictures while reading either. I've loved books since I first picked one up and been an avid reader since I was a child, and I never had mental pictures. I literally just see the words. Sometimes if the writing style vibes with me there'll be emotions that I'll attach to the the experience of reading that one passage. I can clearly recall family members and friends that I see everyday, but if it's someone that I don't see often it's hard for me to recall their image. Trying to imagine everyday objects or places though is next to impossible for me.

I totally understand as a reader who also has no mental imagery.

When I read my visuals are in third person. So I see the main character, what they are doing, talking to and so on. Also, thank you for introducing this to me! I had never heard of this before and am now interested to know if I know anybody, and any of my students have this!

I only discovered that not everyone has a mind’s eye last year and I was blown away. For me, when I read I get varying degrees or vividness, often I can’t pinpoint facial features of characters. If there’s a movie based on the book and I’ve watched it, it’s honestly like I’m playing the movie out in my head. I’ve been so curious as to how people with aphantasia read, how the words don’t become images. I also wonder if this plays into dreams. My dreams are often so vivid and I wonder how my brain has conjured up these images I’ve never seen firsthand. This is also probably why I create entire scenarios in my head before I fall asleep, nothing like self made fan-fiction haha

It is funny, sometimes when I try to remember a book I read a while ago, I can’t remember specific things like what the plot was or events that happened, but I’ll have these very distinct fragments of images with ridiculous amounts of details, like the clothing the characters were wearing or the way a room was set up Btw I love your fantasy romance recs!

You and I definitely have a very similar brand of this, like when you say you’ve had the experience of both, I have too and when you talk about thinking back on the scene I see figures too. I describe it as like there is a blurry flash and then it’s gone. So if someone says apple I don’t see 🍎 I see like a blurry mass of red in a vague apple shape for a fleeting second. Also I describe things as just knowing how they look and my family doesn’t understand at all because they’re all normal and can hold images in their brain. I also don’t have the little inner monologue so I’m not “hearing” what I’m reading either.

I realised that I've got it, when my sister mentioned having it a few years ago. And it explained so many things. Even now I still have moments where I think, oh maybe it's because of that. Like when doing math in my head I still prefer to write (larger) numbers down because then I can add them quicker because I know what the sum should be (hope that makes sense). And I'm the same with art. Art class was one of my favourites in school, but I never liked imaging beforehand what it's supposed to look like. I just started working until I was satisfied with the result...or not. I recognise fanart sometimes, most likely if it's one of my favourites or they got some specific detail like a tattoo or something. And knowing that I have it definitely helps with reading faster. Now I don't try to picture the landscape (👍 for including maps and such) or the beautiful and to the last detail described dress and then get frustrated because I can't. It helps a lot 😊 and another thing I've found out because of this, is that some people don't have a inner voice and that's something I can't comprehend.

I can visualise what’s happening and I’m always an onlooker. I can change the angle I look at it too! I imagine it would be a lot harder to remember details in a book, places etc.. if you can’t see it xx

Oh my gosh SAME with the details! I can almost never remember character names. Even in some of my favorite books, or books that I've read just a week ago, or books where the character has a really unique name, or even sometimes WHILE I'm reading (especially if it's first person).

I think you have a great personality 😄

I have always struggled to see detailed images in my mind when I read; I would say that I see blurry/vague outlines of things/people/settings. Very interesting video! :)

I feel like I’m going crazy, I didn’t realise people saw actual images in their heads. I normally search up drawings of character because I can’t imagine what they look like. But with things I know I know what they look like cause I know them not cause I can see them in my head. I didn’t realise it wasn’t like that for everyone. So this was really interesting to watch

Very interesting, I can see how this baffles people because they can't imagine (pardon the pun) how it could be different. I personally rarely visualise books, not because I can't but because I feel like I don't need to (if that makes sense?), that doesn't really impact my enjoyment of a book. I never visualise faces of characters which is great bc I'm never disappointed when they adapt a book to tv/movie and cast someone who doesn't quite match up with the book description. 😂

When I read, it's like a hole opens in the page and I fall inside it and I'm inside the room/setting/ with the characters and watching them all. It's so vivid to me. It feels so odd to me that other people don't imagine things like that when they read!

Great video! I am the same as you as well. I can't see pictures in my head when i read, never have. I have loved reading and books after reading The Hobbit together at school when we was about 10 and i am now 38.