Can you picture things in your mind? I can't

Name: Can you picture things in your mind? I can't
Uploaded: 2026-01-13T16:02:54Z
Duration: 7 min 43 s
Description: Picture this: a rocket ship crash-lands on a planet, and an alien approaches the spacecraft. What do you see in your mind when you visualize this scene? For Alex Rosenthal (and many others), the answer is: absolutely nothing. Exploring the fascinating science of aphantasia, or the inability to generate mental images, he shows why our minds are much more different than we think.

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Alex Rosenthal |

TEDNext 2025

• November 2025

Picture this: a rocket ship crash-lands on a planet, and an alien approaches the spacecraft. What do you see in your mind when you visualize this scene? For Alex Rosenthal (and many others), the answer is: absolutely nothing. Exploring the fascinating science of aphantasia, or the inability to generate mental images, he shows why our minds are much more different than we think.