Close your eyes and picture a friend. See anything?
If you know their face but can't see it, there's a name for that: aphantasia. Take the free aphantasia test in about 4 minutes, then keep the people you can't picture in Linkbase.
Knowing, not seeing
Aphantasia means having little or no voluntary mental imagery. Ask most people to picture someone they love and they see something. People with aphantasia mostly just know. For many it's lifelong, simply how their mind has always worked. It was only named in 2015, so plenty of people find the word as adults.
You know faces you can't see
You'd spot your best friend in a crowd. Close your eyes to picture them, and nothing appears.
"Imagine a beach" never did much
You thought counting sheep was just a figure of speech.
Old moments feel like a list
You know what happened at the wedding. You can't step back into it. Photos do the heavy lifting.
In a national survey of 32,784 adults in New Zealand, about 0.8% had no mind's eye at all.
How vivid is your mind's eye?
Two short questionnaires from imagery research. There are no wrong answers. Just answer honestly.
VVIQ
The classic since 1973. Picture a friend, a sunrise, a shop and a lake, then rate how clear each image is.
About 4 minutes · 16 questionsStart the VVIQSUIS
Not how vivid your images are, but how often they pop up on their own in daily life.
About 2 minutes · 12 questionsStart the SUISSelf-report questionnaires, not a diagnosis. Anonymous: no account, no name, no email.
A memory you read, not one you picture
Can't replay someone in your head? Keep them written down. Linkbase saves the people you meet and the moments you share, in words, photos and your own voice.
Words, not pictures
Save people the way your memory already works: as facts. Where you met, what they do, their kids' names.
Photos where you need them
Can't call up a face? Keep a photo gallery for every person and every memory, with captions you can search.
Say it while it's fresh
Talk for ten seconds after you meet someone. Linkbase turns it into a profile before the details fade.
Ask in plain words
Search "the nurse from the climbing gym". No need to picture anything. Linkbase finds the person or moment from what you remember.
What researchers have found
Aphantasia got its name in 2015. People have described it since at least 1880.
About 1 in 125 adults
A national survey of 32,784 adults in New Zealand found that about 0.8% had no mind's eye at all.
Lambert et al., Neuropsychologia, 2026Often linked to life memories
In the 2015 paper that named aphantasia, 14 of the 21 people described also reported difficulty remembering their own lives.
Zeman, Dewar and Della Sala, Cortex, 2015A double-edged sword
In written accounts from 52 aphantasic adults, many said it spared them painful memories, but the good ones too.
Digard, Schul and Zeman, Neuropsychologia, 2026
Questions, answered
Is this a diagnosis?
No. The VVIQ and SUIS are self-report questionnaires used in research. They show how you describe your own imagery. They can't diagnose anything. If your imagery or memory has changed suddenly, please talk to a doctor.
How long does it take?
The VVIQ has 16 questions and takes about 4 minutes. The SUIS has 12 questions and takes about 2.
Do I need an account?
No. You don't sign up, log in or give an email. Open a test and start.
What happens to my answers?
They're saved without your name, your email or an account. Your result gets its own page with a link. Anyone with the link can see it, so share it only with people you choose.
What do I do with my result?
Whatever helps. Some people share it with a partner or friend to explain how their mind works. Others take the second test for a fuller picture. If you want to keep people and moments outside your head, that's what Linkbase is for.
What is Linkbase, and is it free?
Linkbase is a mobile app for remembering the people you meet and the moments you share: names, details, birthdays and photos, all searchable, and you can add them by voice. It's free to start, with no account needed. Paid plans give you more room.
Keep the people you can't picture
Linkbase remembers who you met, what they told you and the moments you shared. You don't have to see them in your head.