As someone who has never been a big book reader (though I read tech manuals and news articles), I finally figured out I probably have aphantasia. This finally connected a lot of dots for me.
Comment on Anon is Illiterate
grrgyle@slrpnk.net 2 weeks agoActually, I wonder if people who have difficulty visualizing from words would struggle to, like, make their own pictures.
nailingjello@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
grrgyle@slrpnk.net 2 weeks ago
Do you enjoy graphic novels?
nailingjello@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
Not really, they just never felt entertaining to me. Most of my family members are big readers, I’m just the oddball.
icosahedron@ttrpg.network 2 weeks ago
as a reader and writer with aphantasia, it’s literally never once mattered to me. i love a good fantasy and just don’t consider visualizing an obligate part of the experience. though i could definitely understand how it might be helpful
grrgyle@slrpnk.net 2 weeks ago
That’s great to hear. And for what it’s worth while I can imagine simple images, I don’t usually while I’m reading. I just sort of understand what’s happening in a non-visual way.
icosahedron@ttrpg.network 2 weeks ago
yeah exactly. i find it really interesting how some people just can’t separate understanding a text from internally picturing it. it makes me wonder if there’s some legitimate difference in information processing, or if people who can visualize tend to associate understanding with imagining even if they’re actually unrelated