What happens when you think of an orange?

Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

Indulge me for a moment.

Think of an orange and pay close attention to what happens.

Do you see the citrus fruit in your mind?

Now, your answer might be yes, of course I do.

Or it might be, no, don’t be stupid.

If you answered yes, then chances are you didn’t realise that anyone might answer no (and vice versa).

So, this is what happens when I think of an orange:

I see an orange-coloured sphere, about the size of a tennis ball. The surface is covered with small indents, like tiny dimples. On the top is a small button of faded green, where the fruit once hung from the tree. There is a hard indent at the bottom.

I see the orange in detail, more detail than about two-thirds of people.

If you answered no above, you might wonder what I’m on about. Chances are, however, your experience falls somewhere between vivid detail and nothing at all.

Now, think of an event from your past. Here’s mine:

I’m lying on a beach, the gentle sound of the waves crawling to the shore. I can feel the towel beneath me and the sand between my toes; it’s grainy and I don’t like the way it scratches at my skin. I sit up and brush the sand from the…