Imagine creating a whole world inside your mind, and that it feels just as real to you as the one you see every day. The only difference? In that world, you’re the boss.
Imagine the ability to whip up many such worlds for you to explore, detailed to your liking, just by closing your eyes.
That is the potential of Hyperphantasia. Perhaps one day, with future tech like Generative Reality technologies, this potential might be found in all of us.
If you’ve read our articles on Generative Reality and Mental Imagery, you already have some insight (literally) into how your own mind’s eye works.
As a quick recap, close your eyes and picture an apple.
Most will be able to see an image, less vivid compared to a real apple. A few will see it clear as day, as if it was right in front of them.
About 2.6% of adults (11% of children) [1] say they see things in their mind as clearly as in real life. This is called ‘hyperphantasia’, which means "beyond imagination."
If you are among the readers who experience hyperphantasia, this article will dive deeper into what it means and its connection to the upcoming Generative Reality wave.
But even if you're not, stick around. We're about to explore some themes around the future of technology and its impact on us that you’ll probably find quite intriguing.
The Mind’s Eye in Ultra-HD
Hyperphantasia is the ability to perceive exceptionally vivid mental imagery.
People with this ability, called hyperphants, can picture things in their mind clearly, almost like watching a high-definition movie. While it's most common with visuals, some hyperphants can also "hear", “smell” or "feel" things in their imagination.
Everyone with hyperphantasia has their own unique experience. Some can control their mental images like a movie director, while others might have images pop up without warning. For some, it is controllable and positive, for others, intrusive and negative.
Using the Streaming Metaphor, hyperphantasia is like having a 8K, UHD screen in your brain. Hyperphantasia is not about what show you're watching on it, but how crystal clear the picture is.
As with anything, hyperphantasia has its pros and cons. Some hyperphants enjoy the enhanced creativity it brings, while others might get distracted or even stressed out by intrusive thoughts.
Vivid mental imagery can shape how you think in many ways. In this article, we'll dive into the good, the bad, and everything in between, as well as how future tech will one day allow all of us to have this sort of experience, if we so choose.
Growing Awareness
Scientists have only recently started digging into hyperphantasia. While it has been known since the 19th century that mental imagery vividness varies between people, it was not until 2015 that aphantasia, hyperphantasia’s opposite twin, was named [2].
Once aphantasia caught researchers' eyes, attention also began turning towards hyperphantasia. Now, less than 10 years later, interest in hyperphantasia is booming.
Study after study is being released, detailing everything from its links to synesthesia [3] to its influence on personality [4]. Public interest is also steadily increasing according to Google Trends.
Some scientists are even using hyperphantasia to dig deeper into the mysteries of consciousness by studying the experiences of hyperphants to learn more about how we all understand and interpret reality [5].
The Cognitive Effects of Hyperphantasia
To make this leap, scientists are looking into how hyperphants are mentally and emotionally affected by their inner vision.
At first glance, hyperphants might seem gifted, having access to vivid mental imagery that most of us could only (literally) dream of. We tend to associate this ability with creativity and even visionary genius.
While there is some truth to this, as we’ll get into, it’s not all rosy. Research also points to the danger in being able to fantasize entire realities into being behind your eyes. You could easily become lost…
To truly grasp hyperphantasia, we need to explore both its bright and dark sides.
Many hyperphants enjoy benefits like boosted creativity and memory. While research is lagging far behind personal anecdotes on the Hyperphantasia subreddit, a 2020 study [6] sums up the research so far:
Hyperphantasia is linked to working in ‘creative’ professions.
Hyperphantasia is more common in women than men.
Hyperphants are more likely to report having good memory.
Hyperphants are more likely to experience synesthesia.
Hyperphants usually discover their condition earlier than aphants discover theirs.
Hyperphantasia seems hereditary, with hyperphants often reporting family members with the same condition.
90% of hyperphants report at least some advantages stemming from their hyperphantasia.
40% of hyperphants report at least some negative effects on their relationships stemming from their hyperphantasia.
Other studies have linked hyperphantasia to the Big Five personality trait ‘openness to experience’ [7], and shown that the vividness of mental imagery tends to fade as we age [8].
Daydreaming, Adaptive and Maladaptive
So, how do we piece together these insights and relate them to something we all experience? Let's look at something we all indulge in: Daydreaming.
We all daydream, and many of us use mental imagery to play out scenarios in our minds, often starring an imaginary version of ourselves.. Some of us replay past memories, while others imagine possible futures, both good and bad.
Daydreaming comes in both healthy and unhealthy forms. On the plus side, it helps our creative problem solving abilities [9], helps us plan our future actions constructively [10], and helps us work through our emotions [11].
But there's a darker side. Sometimes, daydreaming can turn into rumination, where we get stuck on a problem which repeats itself in our mind over and over. This can mess with our plans and our emotions. The evidence seems to suggest that a wandering mind is often an unhappy mind [12].
Evidently, daydreaming is a double-edged sword, with potential benefits, but also potential costs attached to it. What happens then, when this routine activity is supercharged by hyperphantasia?
Emotional amplification
Hyperphantasia has been linked to mood disorders like anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. Having hyperphantasia may both help create and exacerbate symptoms of these by dialing up the intensity of ruminating thoughts [13].
Mental imagery serves as an “emotional amplifier” [14], and for hyperphants, their vivid mental imagery is thought to amplify emotions to a sometimes overwhelming degree. Conversely, aphants seem much less bothered by imagining scenarios [15].
Paradoxically, the same vivid mental imagery implicated in these mood disorders, can also aid in treatment outcomes [16].
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a gold standard mental health treatment model, works by changing the way we use mental images and self-talk. The goal is to help the person change their imagery in a more constructive direction.
Realizing the power of mental imagery in CBT is revolutionizing how therapists use it directly in treatments [17].
For hyperphants, this can be a game-changer. Once they manage to steer their vivid imagination towards positive scenarios, they often experience better outcomes.
Emotional amplification through vivid mental imagery cuts both ways. On one hand, it can make mood disorders feel even more intense. On the other hand, it can be a powerful tool for healing, depending on how these images are used.
Directing one's imagination in a more positive direction isn't a walk in the park. But with the right techniques, it's achievable. That's the foundation of our best therapeutic interventions, such as CBT.
If therapy seems a tad intense, even a bit of ad-hoc intentional positive visualization can do wonders.
For hyperphants who sometimes feel burdened by their vivid imagination, this is a silver lining. The very thing that poses challenges can also be a key to overcoming them. It's all about harnessing the power of hyperphantasia in the right way, finding the right methods to influence the emotional vibe of one’s mental imagery.
Paracosms and Maladaptive Daydreaming
Many people struggle with intrusive mental imagery, and resulting anxiety and/or depression. Others have intuitively discovered how to use positive mental imagery as a mood booster.
It's not uncommon for those with vivid imaginations to immerse themselves in uplifting mental scenarios to lift their spirits. Instead of getting stuck in a rumination loop about past mistakes or future worries, they envision happy scenarios filled with joy, love, and achievements.
Some even craft entire imaginary worlds in this way, known as Paracosms. This is especially common in children, and playing with such worlds (‘worldplay’) has been linked to creative giftedness later in life [18].
Positive mental imagery can definitely have healthy and constructive dimensions, and the aim of Generative Reality is to enable us to amplify these benefits while reducing the downsides.
We’ll get back to this later, but for now let’s keep focusing on the negatives. As with anything that makes us humans feel good, we can always have too much of a good thing.
For some with vivid imaginations, the joy from these perfect mental scenarios can be so emotionally rewarding that they get caught in an addictive loop of daydreaming. They might spend more time in their imagined worlds than in the real one around them.
This isn’t just daydreaming on steroids, it’s got a name: Maladaptive Daydreaming (MD).
Maladaptive daydreaming happens when daydreaming starts filling up your days to the exclusion of other activities. Those who suffer from MD spend an average of 58% of their week daydreaming, compared to around 13% for the general population [19]. Unsurprisingly, this disrupts your life, and your genuine human connections.
MD can therefore cause psychological pain, as sufferers become unable to cope with the demands of the real world. Sufferers of MD often describe their daydreams as addictive, which places them in the same category as other everyday activities we can become addicted to (food, intimacy, social validation; the list goes on).
Add to this that vivid mental imagery seems linked to stronger cravings during addiction [20], and you get a feedback loop which can make MD hard to break out of.
The Golden Middle Way
This paints a picture of vivid mental imagery with two extremes we wish to avoid. On the one hand, you have negative imagery, linked to mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. On the other hand, you have positive imagery, first experienced as rewarding and beneficial, but eventually leading down the avenue of addiction and unintended consequences.
Is there a golden middle way, and in that case, what do we find there?
In moderation, vivid mental imagery can be a great source of well-being, and even enhance therapy outcomes. If this balance can be found, which at least some hyperphants seem to do, vivid mental imagery can be a great psychological resource.
We have also mentioned such things as enhanced memory and creativity. Who wouldn't want a sharper memory or a more creative mind, especially if there are no drawbacks?
The fact that 90% of hyperphants see benefits from their ability also suggests that it doesn’t automatically lead to falling off either deep end. Many seem to naturally find a balanced way of using it.
In conclusion, hyperphantasia isn't just about having intense daydreams; it has objectively positive qualities embedded within it.
Two questions then present themselves:
Can hyperphants attain a sweet spot where they are able to enjoy the positives of hyperphantasia, and dodge the negatives?
And can we make the hyperphantasic experience, in this positive form, available to people who aren’t native hyperphants?
The answers to these questions can be found in the concept of Generative Reality.
Generative Reality
Picture this: a groundbreaking technology that enables us answer both our questions with a resounding "yes." A tool that helps hyperphants channel their vivid mental imagery more positively, and lets everyone else partake in this ability by turning up the clarity of their own mental imagery.
Imagine something like a brain-computer interface, which amps up the brain signals responsible for mental imagery, intensifying both its vividness, and your control over it.
We’ll call this technology ‘Generative Reality’.
Generative Reality (GR) is the concept of tapping into and supercharging the power of our imagination. It's the idea of using technology to boost our mind's eye, enhancing how we interact with our inner visuals for our own betterment.
Imagine seeing your thoughts so vividly that they feel just as real as the world around you. Now, think about applying this towards creativity, tackling challenges, and boosting mental well-being. That is the promise of Generative Reality.
Hyperphantasia gives us a preview of what we could one day all be experiencing through Generative Reality technology. It gives us a first-hand look at both the possibilities and the pitfalls we are facing.
Want to dive deeper into GR? Check out the introductory article on it. Also, consider subscribing to stay updated.
Brain-Computer Interfaces and Mental Imagery
It might sound like this article takes place in a sci-fi novel, but believe it or not, the future of Generative Reality might be closer than you think.
Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are currently in the works, that allow for modulating the signals of the human brain, and could potentially be used to fine-tune our mental imagery.
Imagine harnessing this tech to manage the intense experiences of hyperphantasia, or even letting anyone who wants it immerse themselves in vivid mental imagery at will.
One day, in a not too distant future, it might be as easy as putting on your GR headset, and immersing yourself in worlds of your own creation.
The Generative Reality Grid
To avoid confusion between this publication and its subject, I'll sometimes refer to this publication as the Generative Reality Grid.
Generative Reality Grid aims to explore Generative Reality in depth, and especially the risks and rewards associated with it.
If you don’t want to miss out on future articles which go into Generative Reality in ever more vivid detail, subscribe on Medium, and sign up for our Newsletter.
For an overview of Generative Reality, visit the Generative Reality Resources Page, where you will find all articles related to GR sorted and categorized.
The journey to Generative Reality begins now.
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