Weird health condition stops people from imagining pink tigers - can you picture them?




 It may sound simple, but can you imagine a pink tiger when you close your eyes? If it's something you struggle with, there is a surprising reason why.


Although it sounds simple, some of us are able to easily picture a pink feline clearly, whether it be bright pink or more of a pastel. However for some, no matter how hard they try, they just won't be able to imagine it. To some people, imagining something in a fantasy is easy when given a prompt or inspiration, while for some it can be seriously hard. For those who can't do it, it may be because they have something called aphantasia, or the lack of a "mind's eye" as explained by Doctor Karan Raj. 

Dr Raj is known for posting health videos on his @dr.karanr account on TikTok, shared a video in which he discussed what aphantasia is, as he said it's a condition that impacts around 2% of the population. He used the example of an "evil sausage riding a horse" and said that if you can picture it clearly, then you have a "mind's eye".


He said having a mind's eye means you can "picture things in your head even when you can't see them in real life". The doctor then explained: "1 in 50 people, that's 2% of the population, can't imagine things in their head. This is aphantasia, literally the absence of fantasy. This software glitch means their episodic memory, image recall, and object imagery are affected."


Dr Raj went on to insist that functional brain imaging suggests those with aphantasia do have "normal brain activity" when looking at faces or objects, but they were unable to "activate the same brain areas" when they were asked to imagine objects or faces.


So what causes aphantasia? Well, according to the medical expert, you can be born without a "biological search function" or it can be a side effect of enduring a brain injury. But Dr Raj insisted you shouldn't worry if you have aphantasia, because it "isn't a big deal". In fact, the doctor said it could even be "helpful".


He explained: "Due to their limited ability to visually memorise facts, they often compensate by better understanding concepts. There's also a theory they have a better ability to deal with past trauma, as technically they're spared the pain of having to relive distressing memories or experiences in glorious 4K. Aphantasia is not a disorder, it's a variation of human experience, and it's more evidence we all see the world completely differently."


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