55 karma · joined December 15, 2020
I also think it makes sense why a lot of software engineers (myself included) have aphantasia. Being “rational” is arguably easier when you’re not influenced by the emotional weight of images. Maybe we’re even less predisposed to PTSD, since we can’t visually relive things in the same way. My mind still races at night like anyone else’s, but it’s all non-visual. Just endless inner monologue instead of a reel of images. Couldn't count sheep if I tried!
I should clarify that I can still imagine what a room looks like and what’s in it. I just don’t see it. It’s more like I feel the layout or know where things are, almost like navigating a mental map without any visuals. Specific details like colors, patterns, etc. are much harder to recall unless I am intimately familiar with the object or whatever.
My partner is on the opposite side of the spectrum; she can conjure mental images with ease. Our differences in that respect have led to a lot of interesting conversations.
I think aphantasia is quite misunderstood by people able to visualize. I can remember how things look, have no issues identifying faces, have a strong spatial understanding of places I've been, etc. It's hard to describe precisely; we just remember things differently.
site:https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/ "mozilla developer network"
yielded ~115 results on Google
{ "Current date": "2023-02-08", "Knowledge cutoff": "2021-09", "Language": "English", "Writing style": "Formal", "Topic": "History", "Intent": "Answer question", "Location": "New York", "Prompt type": "Question answering", "Audience": "Experts", "Emotion": "Neutral", "Tone": "Informative", "Domain": "Science", "Task": "Generate summary" }