health
February 27, 2026
Living with hyperphantasia: ‘I remember the clothes people wore the day we met, the things they said word-for-word’
It’s hard to know what people can see in their own mind’s eye. But for Maddie Thomas there was no doubt: she had especially vivid mental imagery
TL;DR
- Hyperphantasia is a cognitive trait defined by vivid mental imagery, with experiences described as 'lifelike'.
- It can extend to multiple senses beyond visual imagery, including sound, taste, touch, and smell.
- Aphantasia is the opposite condition, where individuals have no mental image.
- The term 'hyperphantasia' and 'aphantasia' were coined by Prof Adam Zeman in 2015.
- Research is exploring objective methods to study mental imagery, including pupil response and skin conductance.
- Individuals with hyperphantasia may find it challenging to distance themselves from negative memories due to vivid recall.
- Hyperphantasia can have positive implications for memory recall, learning, and future projection.
- Ongoing research by scientists like Joel Pearson and Prof Adam Zeman aims to further understand these cognitive traits.
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