Can’t Count Sheep? This May Be Why!

This one is weird.  You’ve heard of a blank stare, well this might be what’s behind it!  We take it for granted that each of us can recall or imagine an image, object or scene in our “mind’s eye”.  You know the deal, when you close your mind and call up a vivid memory, or even use it to count sheep at night .  BUT believe it or not, not everyone can do that! If you can’t,  you make have a condition known as aphantasia.

Aphantasia  is thought to affect only about 2.5 percent of the population, and it's unknown why it occurs. What science does know is that visualization is the result of activity in a network of regions widely distributed across the brain. Researchers surmise that it could be that points in that network fail in individuals with no "mind's eye."

As reported in the Daily Mail, more exploration of the condition is expected because those who suffer with it have reported a significant impact on their lives as they are unable to visualize memories of their partners, or loved ones who have died. (Daily Mail)