Hyperphantasia and eidetic memory are distinct phenomena. Eidetic memory is the ability to “recall images or sounds with high accuracy and detail after seeing them briefly,” Dr. Dasgupta says.

Jake has hyperphantasia, which causes him to experience extremely vivid mental imagery. It’s the opposite extreme of aphantasia, the phenomenon of completely lacking mental imagery.

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Joel Pearson, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of New South Wales who has studied mental imagery since 2005, said hyperphantasia could go far beyond just having an active imagination.

Hyperphantasia Affects About 3% of the Population. Here’s How to Tell If You Have It Exceptionally vivid mental imagery can seem like a superpower—but it can also be incredibly distracting.