A Quantitative Study of Aphantasia and Personal Worldview

Abstract:Mental imagery—the ability to voluntarily generate internal visual experiences—plays a significant role in cognition, emotion, and belief formation. Aphantasia, the inability to visualize mental images, has historically been considered rare, affecting an estimated 1–4% of the population. However, anecdotal accounts and growing community discourse suggest these figures may be significantly underreported. This study explores both the prevalence of aphantasia and its potential relationship to belief system affiliation.A grassroots survey (N = 203) was distributed across platforms including Reddit, Facebook, and Prolific. Participants self-assessed their visualization ability and responded to questions about personal belief systems, spirituality, and philosophical outlooks. Results showed that 33.5% of participants reported no mental imagery, and an additional 30.0% reported only vague imagery. Visualization ability was positively correlated with belief system strength (r = 0.38, p < 0.001), and statistical modeling confirmed that higher imagery capacity significantly predicted stronger religious or spiritual affiliation.These findings suggest that visualization ability may influence how individuals relate to abstract constructs like faith, identity, and meaning. The results raise questions about the underdiagnosis of aphantasia and highlight the need for further research into its cognitive and psychological implications.