© Pint of Science, 2025. All rights reserved.
Peek inside the brain from two remarkable angles! Derek explores aphantasia—what it’s like to have no mental imagery—and how that might come with unexpected perks. Meanwhile, Tony reveals how addiction is shaped by more than just chemistry: it's a deeply social phenomenon influenced by culture, context, and connection.
Aphantasia and Pink Elephants: Life with a blind mind is not all bad
Prof Derek Arnold
(Professor, University of Queensland)
People with Aphantasia cannot have imagined experiences such as seeing the characters and scenes described in a book. While most attention is paid to visualising, Aphants can also have an inability to imagine other sensations, like hearing music, or smells or tastes. Derek will talk about what it is like to live with a blind mind, the science explaining these deficits, and he will describe research that suggests there might also be some benefits to Aphantasia.
The social life of the (addicted) brain
Dr Tony Barnett
(Research Fellow, University of Queensland)
It is more than just neurons firing, or controlling how we behave, the brain has a social life. Tony will unpack how drugs, culture, architecture and social lives impact addiction. He will argue that addictive behaviours are ‘more than human’ in nature.
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