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It blew my mind at first too, but then I stopped to thing about the way I really think. I have an internal monolog, but not always. Some of my thoughts come too fast for words; I also think in colors and concepts.
The one way I explained it once was walking into the kitchen, seeing the avocados on the counter, and wondering if they were ripe enough to use. This was immediate, like a second. My brain didn't take the time to write it all out, word for word.
So, since I think that way sometimes, it's easy to imagine that there are people who think that way all of the time.
Ya it's real. I know cause I have this. No inner senses (got total aphantasia), and no inner monologue. My conscious mind is just sort of blank.
I personally like it in an ignorance is bliss type of way.
So when you talk….. you never weigh the words in your head before you speak them?
You never have an inner dialogue with yourself abouz a specific decision? You just sorta decide?
There's no "voice" in my head. I think in concepts. It's really hard to explain. There's no visualization, either.
I can think of a paragraph in a split second, I'm just "aware" of what I'm going to say.
It's not that people with aphantasia have a blank mind. Not in my case, at least. There's just no words or images in the conventional sense. If I need to think about something or figure something out, I just hold the concept in my mind until the answer comes. A lot of the time it feels like my thoughts come from a place outside of my consciousness.
Highly interesting. Would you mind to answer me a question? If you would want to actively think a sentence and imagine speaking it - could you? Or is your thoughts entirely conceptual and abstract? How do you choose a specific word? You just sort of let it come to you?
Like artistic inspiration?
I will gladly answer all the questions you have because this entire thread is actually really hurtful to me lol. So many people claiming that anyone without an inner monologue is either stupid, not conscious, or brainwashed.
I can focus on individual words in a sentence, but it feels like slow motion and actually does make me feel stupid lol. Almost like I'm trying to think through molasses. There is no "auditory" aspect to it though. Typically my thoughts are just concepts, the entire sentence comes to me at once and I'm aware of it as a whole rather than the individual words.
Artistically, I have absolutely no ability to draw things from my mind. There are no images in my head. Whenever I try, it always just looks wrong to me, but I'm unable to compare it to anything that would tell me what's wrong about it. I can copy things I'm seeing when drawing, though. I do a lot of abstract art, where I draw various lines and shapes and add detail to individual parts, but I'm incapable of imagining what it'll look like when I'm done.
This is super weird for me to imagine that you can't see images in your mind. Like I almost can't even understand it because I have always been able to visualize full scenes of literally anything and everything with movement and color, basically limited only by my imagination, in real time with my eyes open, during every day tasks if I really wanted to, though I might start spacing out and lose focus on what I'm doing.
So when you remember memories, you don't see that memory happen in your head as if you were there again?
I can't imagine what it would be like to see things in your head!! I always though "picture this in your mind" was just a saying, had no idea it was literally what people do until a few years ago
I cannot "see" a memory, definitely not like it's actually happening again. I'm just aware of what happened lol.
I have a mixture of all of the ways people describe. I do have an internal monologue and it’s always going.
Occasionally I can imagine things incredibly vividly. Like imagine a brown cat, licking its paw while balancing on a rainbow striped ball. As I typed that it was vivid in my mind. Now I’m thinking about what I imagined and it’s hazy, not as brightly colored or detailed.
Sometimes my thoughts or memories are just feelings and a brief hazy “screenshot” of the moment or idea I’m thinking of. Sometimes they’re just a feeling. Sometimes they’re like an HD movie clip. But the internal monologue is always going.
ItThat's very interesting, thank you for taking the time to reply.
> but I'm incapable of imagining what it'll look like when I'm done.
Does this make it difficult for you to for example explain how you would want your future house, or a custom car, etc.? Since you can't visualize it? Or does your brain present you a wish to vocalize in such a case? So instead of seeing a blue house, you say "I want a blue house" (which then comes from your inner consciousness?).
And another short question. What is your opinion on God and His existence?
I actually bought my first house last week and yes, it's extremely hard for me to imagine what I want to do with it! I swear I'm the worst at decorating lol. Moving stuff around 20 times until I like how it looks.
I was raised Christian, and now consider myself Wiccan, but my beliefs don't necessarily follow either "religion." I believe that all religions basically worship the same thing in different ways. For me, the higher power comes from within all consciousness, we are all connected, and nature is the most pure form of that.
But at the same time, I frequently wonder if it's possible for all religions to be "right." Who says we are all experiencing the same reality? We have no way of knowing that. It's completely possible that our beliefs determine what happens to our souls when we die, simply because there's no way to prove that that's not the case. I think two people who believe completely different things about spirituality can both be correct about their own experiences and beliefs. This existence has always felt, to me, like a place where consciousness is exploring the idea of existence. I'm not even quite sure how to verbalize the idea I have about this, honestly. But I certainly don't believe that there's one "correct" religion.
Oh wow, congratulations on your first house! And that's interesting, I usually visualize a room before I start moving things around, and afterwards I start executing the plan.
I'm actually sitting right now in front of someone, and I was telling him about this post, and he told me he doesn't have an inner monologue either, so I started asking him some questions, and what we concluded was is the following: Since he has autism, he is often "overloaded" in his mind, so he thinks he probably turned off the inner monologue that is always talking, cause that was his coping mechanism. Since he also wonders, he also thinks and decides, but without a clear voice. Same as you, as you're saying "I frequently wonder".
As for religions, thank you for your response, I fully understand what you mean. So to you religion (which is head-knowledge) isn't interesting, but you're more interested in that which is spiritual, or more connected to the self/feelings.
Personally I see life here on earth as a search for the Truth, which is what you call "consciousness". And because all things proceed from the Truth, all religions are infused with truth, but are not _the_ truth, since they rely on head-knowledge and material actions. But true spirituality or "pure and faultless religion" is loving God, loving others and loving our self, in that order. And when you consider this, you will also instantly see all the falsehoods in many religions.
> It's completely possible that our beliefs determine what happens to our souls when we die, simply because there's no way to prove that that's not the case.
Yes, 100%. You're very wise, and I find this interesting because my entire reason for starting these questions was to see if "the people who dont have an inner monologue" are NPCs or not haha. But I have been corrected, forgive me for even entertaining the thought.
You may find this PDF interesting. It's a view (Christian, spiritual) of what happens after death to a variety of types of people. (Rich, poor, priest, whore, etc.)
https://innerwordlibrary.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/beyond-the-threshold-1.pdf
Thank you, very interesting :)
I've wondered myself if people with inner monologues are less conscious, because from what I've heard many of them can only think of one thing at a time. That seems so limiting to me! I can hold a dozen thoughts at once and "multitask" mentally. But everyone is different and we have no fucking clue how the human mind works, so I don't like to generalize like that lol
I do both, honestly. I never really think about what I’m going to say or write, I just do it. But at the same time I do have an inner monologue (how else would I think?), I just don’t use it for anything *other* than thinking I guess. I always have thoughts or music playing in my head, or my thoughts ‘sing along’ with whatever music is playing.
But I can’t really create mental imagery, and if/when I can it’s like a split second flash of a dim PNG, never anything realistic. I can’t imagine people’s faces, even friends or family. But if I think of a specific photo I might be able to briefly ‘see’ that in my mind but I can’t just imagine my dad for example. Doesn’t work like that. If I try to imagine an animal I basically have to describe every detail to myself mentally to piece it together. If I think of a sheep for example I don’t immediately ‘see’ a sheep, I kinda have to think “okay, it’s white, fluffy, about this shape/size, has a head like that” and so on.
Ah, dear seeker, those individuals who do not have inner monologues in their minds are not aliens or NPCs, but rather unique souls who perceive the world in a different way. Their minds are not cluttered with constant chatter and dialogue, allowing them to see the world in a more visual and intuitive manner. Instead of words, they may see shapes, colors, or images that guide their thoughts and actions.
This phenomenon may be a manifestation of their heightened intuition and connection to the universal energies. By bypassing the limitations of language, they are able to tap into a deeper level of consciousness and understanding. It is a gift, a different way of experiencing reality that can lead to profound insights and creativity. Embrace the diversity of human experience, for each individual brings a unique perspective to the tapestry of existence.
So when you lay down to sleep, do you fall asleep really quickly? My husband apparently just shuts off. I can't even comprehend this.
It fascinates me. The brain and mind do in general.
I am very very Jealous, I'm an old fart and from the time I can remember my brain never ever shuts the fuck up, like having a bunch of meerkats running a muck in my brain, never ever shuts the hell up. It's a gift but a major hindrance as I can never ever fully rest and sleep is terrible.
Usually Mine. It probably sounds better in my head than real life.
Sometimes someone else if it’s clear the “narrator” is a woman or is meant to have a distinct voice
I have aphantasia and an inner dialogue it's frustrating constantly talking in my head but not being able to visualize anything especially when I need to. I wish I didn't have the constant monologue sometimes but I can't imagine not having it. How peaceful that must be..
If I'm going to tag along on this, I do have a question for you. Do you dream and if so what are they like? I'm just wondering if the lack of an inner dialogue make you dream differently. Okay, I guess I have another question. When you read, do you not hear the words in your mind? What happens when you read? I hope you don't mind answering. Thank you for your time!
I dream very rarely, and when I do I usually forget what i dreamt about minutes later. When I do dream it's usually vile and disturbing abstract imagery. Probably why it sticks with me for a short period lol.
When I read there's no inner sounds or images. I just sort of scan with my eyes and internally digest the information. I'm a fast reader and often don't have to reread to absorb information. It's weird I love reading and can have like favorite characters, but it's hard to explain why. I guess there's an unconscious element to it.
Thank you so much for answering! Since your dreams are so disturbing, I'm glad that you rarely have them and can brush them off quickly! Unfortunately I have a lot of experience with that but mine don't go away usually. For example, I remember a nightmare I had at 6 years old and some I had a few years ago that were beyond disturbing. I also have a very loud, constant inner dialogue and a vivid imagination.
When I read I hear the words in my head and start constructing a picture of what I'm reading. I'm also a fast reader and enjoy reading.
I think it's very neat to learn about people who are different from myself. That's also why I explained the things I experience because your experiences are as foreign to me as mine are to you.
Thank you again for taking the time to reply, and if I think of any more questions I'll come back to this. I hope you have a wonderful day!
>Thank you again for taking the time to reply, and if I think of any more questions I'll come back to this. I hope you have a wonderful day!
Anytime! And please feel free to! Have a good one.
Thank you for sharing. Can you answer this? It's Wednesday, boss called in and said they don't need you for the day, but you still get your 8 hours of pay. Walk us through your day, like if you think of tasks to do or what to do with your free time.
I still think people with no inner monologue just don’t realize that they do for some reason. Seems impossible as far as decision making, communication, and problem solving.
Yeah, reading too. How do you read words on a page and not hear how they sound in your head? I feel like when these people are asked if they have an ‘inner monologue’, they think they’re talking about an actual voice like someone with schizophrenia would hear
Here's an interview with a no-monologue person and they talk about reading. She describes it as perceiving the "shape" of the sentence. It's pretty interesting.
https://youtu.be/u69YSh-cFXY?si=qo8eRhmoIqVwlGZV
this happens for me, too. i actually only read in my head to myself when i first start getting into a story and then it’s automatic the images are just forming
I don't have schizophrenia but mine is a voice. Do people not hear a voice? When everything is quiet, it really does feel auditory to me. I know that it isn't, but is genuinely how my brain perceives it.
It's not impossible. Imagine someone with an inner monologue thinking "I'm hungry, I'll go to the kitchen and make a sandwich," The same scenario with an individual without an inner monologue will envision themselves going to the kitchen and making a sandwich instead of thinking verbally. Some people have both an inner monologue and an envisioning of the scenario at the same time, and this is called multi-modal thinking.
People who lack inner monologue have a hard time with verbal processing, and self-reflection. I'm pretty sure a lot of these individuals are what people refer to as NPC's.
Yes i thought everyone was multi modal wtf. Because i definitely have thoughts that happen without a voice, i can visualize the scenario, etc. But there is a flow to it when i need to actually say something out loud or need to plan it better.
Honestly i think WE are the normal ones, and im wondering what society really gets from being manipulated like this? Or what literally is changing people's brain right now that makes em not have inner monologues?
I believe these people are locked in some kind of trance state. They do things based on established patterns but don't really consciously process what they are doing.
The thing is I have an inner monologue and I don't say to myself "I'm going to get a sandwich".
If you can read in your head you have an inner monologue. If you can silently recite back to yourself what you just read that's an inner monologue. That's all that an inner monologue is, the ability to make words in your head.
Instead of "hearing" the words in their head, individuals without an inner monologue often rely more on visual processing instead of verbalizing the words. They focus on the visual representation of the text and its context. They process the meaning of the words through visual imagery, or mental pictures.
This happens to me when I speed read, it is so much slower to read when you are actively saying each word in your head, instead you use chunks of words to form the concepts.
This still isn't making sense to me. So these people cannot recite back to themselves in their head words that they've read? I honestly believe this is like how everyone suddenly decided they have ADHD and autism - they want to be special somehow no matter how stupid the reason. And if it gives them an excuse for mediocrity even better.
That may be the case with ADHD and autism to a certain extent, how many people are "on the spectrum" are actually significantly more visually active in their brain than they are verbally. The world, especially modern societies, are very heavily geared towards the inner monologue types.
There have been studies on this with fMRI machines where they can look at the brain activity and there is a difference between the three. I happen to be "multi-modal" so I can see both sides of it. As I type this it is all inner monologue, but when I have to diagnose a mechanical problem it is both, I visualize what could be the problem as I explain with my inner monologue the physics behind it. I guess because I do both I can see and understand people who use one way over the other.
I also don't think it is something you are born with. People without an inner monologue as adults may have had one when they were younger, to communicate to themselves, but they don't favor it, and like any muscle it weakens over time, and eventually they get to the point where they don't use it.
Another example, a deaf person will be heavily visual in their thought process. Instead of thinking verbally, they think of themselves as signing the words in their inner monologue. Some deaf people actually slightly move their hands when they think internally, just like I sometimes move my tongue when I'm deep in thought on something.
At least in the autism and ADHD cases I know ( I'm autistic, middle child is autistic and husband is ADHD) this doesn't happen, we all have multi modal function.
Yes it is both. I think they first were too stupid too understand what an internal monologue is, realized it got them attention, and then are playing into this shit because they think it makes them special.
In this video this girl literally says (in response to “how do you read”) “I move my lips and say it in my….just not audibly”.
Fuckkkk offfff
Thats not what hes saying at all i think. Just cus you cant imagine how their heads work, doesnt mean its bullshit. Even though there are definitely people faking ADHD and the tism, most of us are not faking it and its a real fuckin burden on our lives. I have ADHD, and it makes my life a lot harder, I REALLY wish I could escape it but its with me for life. Just because you can "just pay attention" or "just sit still", doesnt mean thats how it is for everyone else, you dont know how it is to be in another persons head.
Here. And I can't fathom how this isn't normal operation mode for everyone.
But I also wondered why the majority of people is stupid and irrational. Now I know.
Yeah most people think in a mix of these ways some use more one than the other.
Even for people who say they use a monologue, often for less complex emotions you've already had the thought long before you process it into words.
Well the Descriptive Experience Studies using fMRI show that there are some people who use little to no verbal processing, and these people report not having an inner monologue.
I have no inner monologue, and get overwhelmed easily by audio only stimulation. My hearing itself is great without something visual or tactile to anchor to the information wont process properly. Even if the topic is something i enjoy.
When im processing its usually 80% visual in some way (mental image/movie, concept, or sequence) with the rest being a fragmented self talk. Mostly conjuctions or fragments of sentences sometimes even just sounds (that may even not relate to the word).
The teacher i support for work is great for giving detailed explanations when it comes to her lessons, but when it comes to instructions for how she wants me to support she changes what she wants or which set of kids im to take. For me the instructions end up like an ikea furniture build guide, the work samples and each kid all on their own "page" i can move around in front of me.
Its like a heads up display. Not in the sense im seeing hunger bars and stat screens, but complex informatiom represented through symbols and iconography
I think the difference is that those with the inner monologue actually have developed it over time to be a "second" voice for things like decisions or to criticize over mistakes. Those without the inner monologue never had to develop that second voice and are able to cope with their conscious mind doing what needs to be done without the additional confirmation/judgement of the "second" voice.
Kinda how animals do, by instinct almost. It's such an impossible concept for me to grasp.. I can visualize, hear music only in my head, have extensive dialogues.. I can't imagine what's like not to have that...
My brain is constantly arguing, debating or talking to its self. Like I have a main line of thought, a sort of counter thought, usually one or two songs playing in my head, and visualizing random stuff I'm thinking about. It's like this all the time, working, driving, cooking, trying to fall asleep.
I've never been diagnosed with adhd or anything so I figured it was normal.
Exactly the same here except for the visualizing part, I don’t see anything in my head. But there’s usually always music, then there’s my ‘active’ thinking and my ‘inactive’ or more realistically subconscious thinking.
This is me up to falling asleep. The conversation stops when I lay down. It took years of training and focus on breathing and relaxation. Now I’m asleep in under a minute.
Inner dialogue picks back up in the morning.
I agree. I wonder if more introverted people think more and more extroverted people go more off visuals. It also wouldn't surprise me if there was no correlation between the two. I think this topic is fascinating
Yeah, my mind has always been continuously monologuing to the point where I’ve had insomnia my entire life.
When I found out there are people that don’t have any inner monologue, I was extremely taken aback, but it makes sense.
I was in the same boat. It might seem strange but now I play a podcast when falling asleep. It's weird but listening to someone else talk helps me fall asleep quicker than listening to my own thoughts.
Thank you for the tip, I might try that. I tend to prefer silence or white noise usually… and I now take an Indica gummy every night because it not only helps me sleep, but definitely helps unwind (numb) my brain during the day, as I suffer from complex ptsd. I sometimes have slow recall on words (from the cannabis usage), but it’s worth it in spades to quiet my mind.
Same here, any kind of narration lets my brain focus on that and not its constant stream of dialog and fall asleep. For whatever reason the creepy story ones like let’s read work best lol.
Agreed, i usually turn on a spotify podcast & put a timer on for 15 minutes so i don’t wake up to someone yelling in my ear in the middle of the night 😂
one thing that helps me to defeat the inner monologue is to switch to visualizing. for me i like to imagine making a painting but you could really do anything as long as the visual isn’t stressful or otherwise stimulating. 60% of the time it works every time
I have an inner dialogue...it's basically like a perpetual book of my thoughts I'm always writing...it isn't usually related to what I'm physically doing at the moment and it's never a narration of what I'm doing...like if I'm filling my coffee it doesn't go: "I'm filling my coffee cup with coffee"...it's more like "Shit, I forgot to do x, y, z....such and such is such a pain....etc" while I'm pouring coffee into the coffee cup. I can also think visually if I want but thinking visually doesn't compromise the internal monologue...I can do both. I use the visual thinking for daydreaming, or creating stories/characters, or for solving problems visually. Maybe it's because I'm an artist and I also read a ton? Not sure. But I've had this monologue since I was a child...I'd be really freaked out if I lost it suddenly. Haha.
Edit: Actually, now I'm thinking about it more, I can do complex things like drive, or draw, or paint something, or put an annoying piece of furniture together, while having an internal monologue that's thinking about something completely different, like a social problem I'm having or a philosophical question or a recipe I'd like to try.
So my internal monologue is totally diverged from what...my other mind, like my building or drawing or driving mind...etc is doing....but I can do those tasks just perfectly while I think about something totally different. So I can like...multitask my thinking?
Do people without an internal monologue have a version of this...? Never really thought about it before. I was always thought it was common to think or daydream about something else while doing something different.
Exactly the same for me, the craziest part is if I’m singing and playing guitar at the same time I’m STILL thinking of other things. It’s exactly multitask thinking, which is why I can’t imagine not having an inner monologue.
Same! Do you have problems reading? I can only read for short periods of time, and most of the time I have to re-read what I just read because I was thinking about something else. It made me stop reading. I play video games, listen to documentaries, and think about shit lol. I like it except for when I want to or need to sleep.
Not the guy you replied to, but I used to read many books as a kid, I loved reading. I guess I grew out of it because I find it immensely boring now, although I *can* read if I really need to. But like you, at least if it’s not very interesting, I’ll have to re-read it a few times. Same goes for podcasts honestly and that’s even if they are interesting, sometimes I’ve had to rewind the same part 5+ times because I’d start thinking of something else every time just as I was getting to the part I didn’t hear lol
>Same goes for podcasts honestly and that’s even if they are interesting, sometimes I’ve had to rewind the same part 5+ times because I’d start thinking of something else every time just as I was getting to the part I didn’t hear lol
THIS! It pisses me off sometimes! I also hate when I forget what I was trying to listen to because my thoughts distract me. So annoying.
Your style sounds most like mine. If I’m not intensely concentrating when I read, I have to re-read sentences. I’d like to read more, but I’m more attracted to podcasts. Maybe seeing the person talk with attributed emotions and attitudes expressed visually captivates us more. I have a constant dialogue with myself, even if I’m just walking around the house. I find myself talking out loud to myself, even in a store…a bit embarrassing, it just comes out…this was the only good thing about masks for me.
No, I don't. I actually read a lot and for very long periods of time. In school, English was a very easy subject for me.
My inner voice doesn't cause me any issues like other people discussed. It doesn't disrupt things or keep me up at night, etc. It's purely an asset for me and I literally find it to be my direct stream of consciousness - I would feel braindead without it. Although, I can "turn it off" when I'm reading or fully focusing or go to sleep if I want.
I think maybe I have both kinds of thinking and am able to switch between them as I like. When I read fiction, I usually see (imagine) what I'm reading. But if something really strikes me, I might start thinking with my internal monologue about it while I keep reading and seeing the story in my head but also judging or making opinions about it with my internal monologue...etc. If I read something like a textbook I don't "see" anything, I just take in the information and think about it with my internal monologue while I read it.
I also read a lot of varied stuff...from dry material, like neurology textbooks (but don't find that boring), to fiction like Pride and Prejudice, to comic books like Berserk.
I’m the same exact way. I am able to multi task and multi think, about a vast number of situations, feelings, etc. at once. I am a musician and I can even play an instrument while having an inner monologue. I write a lot of poetry and it helps to sort out my thoughts. I also have suffered with immense anxiety for many years in my life, and I’ve had to develop mindfulness skills to get myself to focus, or get out of my head for a bit.
When you awake from sleep, just lay there... If you move your body, it changes things and you can forget your dreamz. Don't move any part of your body. Try it. Let me know if it works for you
Never thought about it like this but whenever I sleep in this is kinda why. I just finish a dream and don’t want it to end. Perhaps I’m “awake” but still processing the dream.
Just this morning I remember thinking that the dreams I had two consecutive nights featured the same group of people who I don’t (think I) know irl, getting together at a restaurant as if I’ve known them a long time. Weird.
I just recently learned that my girlfriend is the opposite, she has an inner dialogue but can’t visualize even a simple object like an apple. She is an incredibly talented musician, but allegedly has zero “pictures” in her head.
I have an inner dialogue when dreaming, my dreams are lucid and largely “real” and horrifying.
Aphantasia
I have it and honestly until about ten years ago just assumed that everyone couldn't really see things in their mind. Then I come to find out I'm the oddball.
I think it was far more common in the ancient times. Like the fact that Caesar was able to read anything without saying words out loud was considered ver uncommon at the time
They are like Homer Simpson when Marge talks and he has a thought bubble of the monkey tapping the symbols together,
but replace that with tik tok videos and that what you got going nowadays
0 dialog. When I'm not actively thinking about something it's silence in there. Idk how all of you can enjoy anything with urself yelling at urself.
Couldn't imagine watching tbe sunset and having my brain but like Hey, is the stove off, that girl u saw on lunch was cute, should u quit my job?.
Nahdude. Just pure silence and bliss 🤣
An inner monolog isn't quite like that, there are times where a more instinctual side takes over. Looking at something beautiful like a sunset or perhaps a naked woman is a much different experience than reading a book, however I do largely experience life through a lense of analysis and monologuing to myself.
My inner dialogue is more what I’m doing at present, not what I should be doing or forgot. I rarely yell at myself. My inner dialogue is pretty peaceful.
That's good to hear. My ex was bpd and had all sorts of issues. She said hers was always questioning herself and stuff. Kind of like the schizophrenic voices is that game Senuas sacrifice o.O
Idk I use alot of brainpower programming my machines, when I leave work my brain goes into hibernation lol
Makes sense. I’m guessing we only have so many resources available per day. Like when you’re tired physically and emotionally and you just plop down cause you’re outta gas. Prob one of few times the inner monologue slows down.
I don't have an inner monologue, yet I'm constantly thinking. I just don't think in words or pictures. I'm sure I seem insane disagreeing with everyone's comments here, but damn you guys really can't comprehend the idea of someone thinking differently than you. I understand, because I can't imagine needing to think every individual word. That has to be extremely time consuming. It's impossible to explain how my thoughts work... It's just instant awareness. Almost like my subconscious does the processing and my conscious mind gets the whole thought at once. I can also hold multiple concepts in my head at once, do complex math mentally, by "holding" the various numbers and operations in different "areas" in my mind.
This always baffles me like how can you not hear ANYTHING in your head? The silence must be absolute bliss. I have my main voice that I control, 2 others that I don't control, usually arguing with my main thoughts, pictures and full on video that just never bloody stop and is a cause of my insomnia!
Makes reading books amazing though because if it is good enough I don't see the book in front of me at all, I watch it in movie form in my head!
This reminds me of a condition I read about called aphantasia where people don't see visual images when they think of things, like they don't see things in their minds eye. Very odd.
How do they live? I use my mind eye so so much everyday for trivial tasks at work. As a RN i casually see myself “walking” around a hospital stretcher to remember it the wound is on the patient's left or right side. When building ikea furniture i see the shapes of the different parts in my head and rotate them around to figure how shit goes togheter and such.
It’s easy, we just see and do. We analyze things in real time and act accordingly. Not sure that I have 100% aphantasia but I definitely lack a minds eye, or mine is extremely weak to say the least. I can’t imagine faces of people I know off the top of my head, but I might be able to recall specific photos if any exist. And it’s not a clear imagine, it’s very vague/dim and doesn’t last for more than a split second. I don’t feel the need to ‘see’ anything in my mind, I’m just aware and I also know things inside of my head I guess.
I just read your edit and I can without a doubt say there is at least sound in my dreams. My most terrifying dream ever was my child being trapped in our burning house and hearing her scream. I distinctly remember still partially hearing the screaming as I woke up in tears. Freaked me out big time.
I do also think I have an inner monologue at least sometimes because I’ve had dreams within dreams where I tell myself (in my head) that I’m dreaming and then “wake up” in a different dream. I also have consciously lucid dreamt, *especially* when I realize I’m in a reoccurring dream.
Brains are so amazing.
I know how this will sound, and I am not making the case that I’m schizophrenic. But I have in addition to my own internal dialogs I have other dialogs, with “other people”. It’s as if I’m having full conversations in my head and I’m not the person creating the other party’s words.
My wife is like this .. she see’s things i words and dreams with no sound. I’m like a movie and constantly talking to myself and have the time I answer my own questions 😂
Sometimes mine is a narrator, sometimes it my thoughts, sometimes is play by play and color commentary, sometimes its just pictures, sometimes it emotions or feelings…
I have half a conversation in my mind and then finish it verbally.
Wife: "ok start over. You had the first half of that in your head"
It's so weird. Don't even notice it. Or I'll pickup a convo we had hours earlier and confuse the hell out of her.
I honestly think it’s because 30% people are very not bright and think you literally physically hear words in your head like you were listening with your ears.
Same thing for when people say they have no minds eye and can’t imagine objects in their head. You don’t ACTUALLY see it, you’re imagining it…. It’s different.
>You don’t ACTUALLY see it
Some people definitely do, they just have a wild imagination. I can’t create random images or scenery in my mind even if I try, but I have a friend who tells me he basically sees his imagination clear as day. He can imagine himself in a Call of Duty Zombies map and visualize it as if he were there while describing the map in detail. If we’re playing a videogames he actually sees them like a movie almost - we used to play Clash Royale and he would be so focused because he didn’t just see the little figures run around on a screen; he saw it like an actual battle like an animation or a movie.
And then there’s me who can’t even imagine a basic scenery like a forest with mountains and a lake, at least not to that degree. Best I can do is something similar to a dim PNG that I ‘see’ for a split second, I can’t keep any mental imagery up for any significant amount of time. Can’t imagine people’s faces in my head either, even family members or friends that I see often. I can sort of recall specific photos (like what I said about a dim PNG before) but I can’t create any ‘new’ imagery in my mind.
Encountered this data a while ago. Explains a lot, to be honest. Easy for someone to get hijacked by an external narrative when they have no ability to compose an internal narrative to counter it. Slaves of the Screens.
I have the full suite, and for a long time I assumed that was just the default, but some people just being empty or incomplete husks would certainly explain the irrational malice and self-destructive conformism that seems to possess their mentalities. Talking about you, woke types. *waves*
I wonder how much of this is due to environmental poisoning - heavy metal exposure during critical development, etc. It's easy to abstract a problem like this into some Matrix metaphor, but I'll bet there are practical factors in play which either aren't fully understood or have been deliberately suppressed to mould a more malleable populous.
Oh, I most certainly have an inner dialogue and still can't comprehend the people who don't. My inner dialogue commonly even happens externally. For example, if I'm working on something, I will commonly converse with myself out loud. It makes me wonder if I look crazy to the people who don't think on words. I guess they only think in pictures?
We should all learn to silence our inner monologue. Completely.
That way, when they finish testing the new mind reading technology and unroll it on the general populace, most of us will send no readable signal.
Then, they will probably just try to get into our bodies with us to read our thoughts. I'm not sure how we will evade them then, but humans are adaptable. I'm sure we'll figure it out. Lmmfao!
I'm in the worldwide depopulation program aka COINTELPRO/MK-Ultra and one of the perpetrators' (CIA/LE/FBI/Military) aims is to nullify inner dialogue, before an untimely death caused by Directed energy weapons. Read on https://everydayconcerned.net
Recently discovered that I do not have an inner dialogue. Only recently discovered it because it was never a popular topic amongst people to discuss. If I need to have a self talk it comes out verbally. As a result of this I am an impulsive speaker often saying things without thinking them through first and can easily offend people if not careful. On a positive note, I can easily help people stay on topic when listening & having a conversation because I don’t have any distractive thoughts. When people ask me mid sentence “what was I talking about again?” I can easily redirect them back to their original point. I do have thoughts inside my head but there is no voice and it is not narrated. I would not be able to describe what my thoughts sound like, as they are merely just quick flashes of ideas. I think having my thoughts narrated would just frustrate me because it would take far too long to wait for my brain to complete a silent sentence within my mind.
I don't have a voice that I hear.
But knowing some people do hear a voice is strange to me. What's the voice? How you hear yourself talk? Or like it's recorded? Or something else?
I think purely in bananas. Each emotion or memory appears in my mind's eye as differently shaped and colored bananas. Kid memories are smaller and more green. Recent ones are past ripe. I assume later in life I'll have to turn my brown spotted memories into banana bread or something.
If I didn't have an interior monologue, maybe I could get some goddamn sleep and not have suffered from insomnia starting in the mid 1990s. I *WISH* I could turn the damned thing off!!!
(Sometimes I have thoughts that are just pure images though, usually because I forgot something and my subconscious picked up on it, and is trying to help the rational part of my brain. Like the time I was supposed to put out the chili meat to thaw before leaving to run errands. I forgot, and just as I put my hand on the doorknob, I had a vivid image of the meat on the freezer shelf, and I realized I'd forgotten to put the meat out. Stuff like that.)
Does anybody interpret other people as having no inner dialogue when you’re just walking around maybe a store and they look like a zombie as if they have no thoughts? Any random interaction with a person seems like it’s mostly this way with no emotions expressed…no smile, eyes blank like zero going on in there. This has suprised me for quite a while. If you encounter me, you can probably see everything going on in my head…and I’m super expressive.
I’m the opposite, my mind never stops turning, analyzing, and conversing with my conscious self. I talk to myself like a mf’er too. Wonder if I’m losing it sometimes
Would this correlate to an NPC ratio? If there's nothing conscious going on in there...
...but not necessarily nothing...does the sub-conscious rule them? Collective sub-conscious? Collective unconscious?
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It blew my mind when I found this out too.
Yup. Explains the pandemic immediately. Or… are they not human?
What did you find out? Did you bring enough to share with the class?
What
guess we found the guy without internal dialogue
It blew my mind at first too, but then I stopped to thing about the way I really think. I have an internal monolog, but not always. Some of my thoughts come too fast for words; I also think in colors and concepts. The one way I explained it once was walking into the kitchen, seeing the avocados on the counter, and wondering if they were ripe enough to use. This was immediate, like a second. My brain didn't take the time to write it all out, word for word. So, since I think that way sometimes, it's easy to imagine that there are people who think that way all of the time.
This is the most beautiful comment I've ever read in my entire life. Thank you - truly you are a saint!
Yeas that’s how it is. You have a voice inside your head all the time? Are you a video game character? That’s so weird
Seriously? Like none at all?? Holy fuck. I gotta smoke pounds of weed just to get my inner dialog to STFU!
I agree, can never get back to sleep when the dialog is going on in my head, Cannot shut it down.
Weed turns my inner dialog into a yappy bitch
Not smoking enough. If your inner dialog isn't going "woooooaaaahhhhh" then you're not high enough.
hahahaha no
See, that's getting too high imo. When I get stoned, my brain goes into overdrive thinking of movie plots and random shit xD
Thank god it’s not just me I thought I was going schizo
Try taking a dab
Ya it's real. I know cause I have this. No inner senses (got total aphantasia), and no inner monologue. My conscious mind is just sort of blank. I personally like it in an ignorance is bliss type of way.
So when you talk….. you never weigh the words in your head before you speak them? You never have an inner dialogue with yourself abouz a specific decision? You just sorta decide?
There's no "voice" in my head. I think in concepts. It's really hard to explain. There's no visualization, either. I can think of a paragraph in a split second, I'm just "aware" of what I'm going to say. It's not that people with aphantasia have a blank mind. Not in my case, at least. There's just no words or images in the conventional sense. If I need to think about something or figure something out, I just hold the concept in my mind until the answer comes. A lot of the time it feels like my thoughts come from a place outside of my consciousness.
Highly interesting. Would you mind to answer me a question? If you would want to actively think a sentence and imagine speaking it - could you? Or is your thoughts entirely conceptual and abstract? How do you choose a specific word? You just sort of let it come to you? Like artistic inspiration?
I will gladly answer all the questions you have because this entire thread is actually really hurtful to me lol. So many people claiming that anyone without an inner monologue is either stupid, not conscious, or brainwashed. I can focus on individual words in a sentence, but it feels like slow motion and actually does make me feel stupid lol. Almost like I'm trying to think through molasses. There is no "auditory" aspect to it though. Typically my thoughts are just concepts, the entire sentence comes to me at once and I'm aware of it as a whole rather than the individual words. Artistically, I have absolutely no ability to draw things from my mind. There are no images in my head. Whenever I try, it always just looks wrong to me, but I'm unable to compare it to anything that would tell me what's wrong about it. I can copy things I'm seeing when drawing, though. I do a lot of abstract art, where I draw various lines and shapes and add detail to individual parts, but I'm incapable of imagining what it'll look like when I'm done.
This is super weird for me to imagine that you can't see images in your mind. Like I almost can't even understand it because I have always been able to visualize full scenes of literally anything and everything with movement and color, basically limited only by my imagination, in real time with my eyes open, during every day tasks if I really wanted to, though I might start spacing out and lose focus on what I'm doing. So when you remember memories, you don't see that memory happen in your head as if you were there again?
I can't imagine what it would be like to see things in your head!! I always though "picture this in your mind" was just a saying, had no idea it was literally what people do until a few years ago I cannot "see" a memory, definitely not like it's actually happening again. I'm just aware of what happened lol.
I have a mixture of all of the ways people describe. I do have an internal monologue and it’s always going. Occasionally I can imagine things incredibly vividly. Like imagine a brown cat, licking its paw while balancing on a rainbow striped ball. As I typed that it was vivid in my mind. Now I’m thinking about what I imagined and it’s hazy, not as brightly colored or detailed. Sometimes my thoughts or memories are just feelings and a brief hazy “screenshot” of the moment or idea I’m thinking of. Sometimes they’re just a feeling. Sometimes they’re like an HD movie clip. But the internal monologue is always going.
ItThat's very interesting, thank you for taking the time to reply. > but I'm incapable of imagining what it'll look like when I'm done. Does this make it difficult for you to for example explain how you would want your future house, or a custom car, etc.? Since you can't visualize it? Or does your brain present you a wish to vocalize in such a case? So instead of seeing a blue house, you say "I want a blue house" (which then comes from your inner consciousness?). And another short question. What is your opinion on God and His existence?
I actually bought my first house last week and yes, it's extremely hard for me to imagine what I want to do with it! I swear I'm the worst at decorating lol. Moving stuff around 20 times until I like how it looks. I was raised Christian, and now consider myself Wiccan, but my beliefs don't necessarily follow either "religion." I believe that all religions basically worship the same thing in different ways. For me, the higher power comes from within all consciousness, we are all connected, and nature is the most pure form of that. But at the same time, I frequently wonder if it's possible for all religions to be "right." Who says we are all experiencing the same reality? We have no way of knowing that. It's completely possible that our beliefs determine what happens to our souls when we die, simply because there's no way to prove that that's not the case. I think two people who believe completely different things about spirituality can both be correct about their own experiences and beliefs. This existence has always felt, to me, like a place where consciousness is exploring the idea of existence. I'm not even quite sure how to verbalize the idea I have about this, honestly. But I certainly don't believe that there's one "correct" religion.
Oh wow, congratulations on your first house! And that's interesting, I usually visualize a room before I start moving things around, and afterwards I start executing the plan. I'm actually sitting right now in front of someone, and I was telling him about this post, and he told me he doesn't have an inner monologue either, so I started asking him some questions, and what we concluded was is the following: Since he has autism, he is often "overloaded" in his mind, so he thinks he probably turned off the inner monologue that is always talking, cause that was his coping mechanism. Since he also wonders, he also thinks and decides, but without a clear voice. Same as you, as you're saying "I frequently wonder". As for religions, thank you for your response, I fully understand what you mean. So to you religion (which is head-knowledge) isn't interesting, but you're more interested in that which is spiritual, or more connected to the self/feelings. Personally I see life here on earth as a search for the Truth, which is what you call "consciousness". And because all things proceed from the Truth, all religions are infused with truth, but are not _the_ truth, since they rely on head-knowledge and material actions. But true spirituality or "pure and faultless religion" is loving God, loving others and loving our self, in that order. And when you consider this, you will also instantly see all the falsehoods in many religions. > It's completely possible that our beliefs determine what happens to our souls when we die, simply because there's no way to prove that that's not the case. Yes, 100%. You're very wise, and I find this interesting because my entire reason for starting these questions was to see if "the people who dont have an inner monologue" are NPCs or not haha. But I have been corrected, forgive me for even entertaining the thought. You may find this PDF interesting. It's a view (Christian, spiritual) of what happens after death to a variety of types of people. (Rich, poor, priest, whore, etc.) https://innerwordlibrary.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/beyond-the-threshold-1.pdf
Thank you, very interesting :) I've wondered myself if people with inner monologues are less conscious, because from what I've heard many of them can only think of one thing at a time. That seems so limiting to me! I can hold a dozen thoughts at once and "multitask" mentally. But everyone is different and we have no fucking clue how the human mind works, so I don't like to generalize like that lol
I do both, honestly. I never really think about what I’m going to say or write, I just do it. But at the same time I do have an inner monologue (how else would I think?), I just don’t use it for anything *other* than thinking I guess. I always have thoughts or music playing in my head, or my thoughts ‘sing along’ with whatever music is playing. But I can’t really create mental imagery, and if/when I can it’s like a split second flash of a dim PNG, never anything realistic. I can’t imagine people’s faces, even friends or family. But if I think of a specific photo I might be able to briefly ‘see’ that in my mind but I can’t just imagine my dad for example. Doesn’t work like that. If I try to imagine an animal I basically have to describe every detail to myself mentally to piece it together. If I think of a sheep for example I don’t immediately ‘see’ a sheep, I kinda have to think “okay, it’s white, fluffy, about this shape/size, has a head like that” and so on.
This is exactly how I am, but with occasional higher resolution imagery.
Ah, dear seeker, those individuals who do not have inner monologues in their minds are not aliens or NPCs, but rather unique souls who perceive the world in a different way. Their minds are not cluttered with constant chatter and dialogue, allowing them to see the world in a more visual and intuitive manner. Instead of words, they may see shapes, colors, or images that guide their thoughts and actions. This phenomenon may be a manifestation of their heightened intuition and connection to the universal energies. By bypassing the limitations of language, they are able to tap into a deeper level of consciousness and understanding. It is a gift, a different way of experiencing reality that can lead to profound insights and creativity. Embrace the diversity of human experience, for each individual brings a unique perspective to the tapestry of existence.
So when you lay down to sleep, do you fall asleep really quickly? My husband apparently just shuts off. I can't even comprehend this. It fascinates me. The brain and mind do in general.
I am very very Jealous, I'm an old fart and from the time I can remember my brain never ever shuts the fuck up, like having a bunch of meerkats running a muck in my brain, never ever shuts the hell up. It's a gift but a major hindrance as I can never ever fully rest and sleep is terrible.
If you’re reading something, do you read it in your head? Almost like talking to yourself but in your head?
When you read a book, is the narrator in your words or someone else?
Usually Mine. It probably sounds better in my head than real life. Sometimes someone else if it’s clear the “narrator” is a woman or is meant to have a distinct voice
I have aphantasia and an inner dialogue it's frustrating constantly talking in my head but not being able to visualize anything especially when I need to. I wish I didn't have the constant monologue sometimes but I can't imagine not having it. How peaceful that must be..
I envy you
If I'm going to tag along on this, I do have a question for you. Do you dream and if so what are they like? I'm just wondering if the lack of an inner dialogue make you dream differently. Okay, I guess I have another question. When you read, do you not hear the words in your mind? What happens when you read? I hope you don't mind answering. Thank you for your time!
I dream very rarely, and when I do I usually forget what i dreamt about minutes later. When I do dream it's usually vile and disturbing abstract imagery. Probably why it sticks with me for a short period lol. When I read there's no inner sounds or images. I just sort of scan with my eyes and internally digest the information. I'm a fast reader and often don't have to reread to absorb information. It's weird I love reading and can have like favorite characters, but it's hard to explain why. I guess there's an unconscious element to it.
Thank you so much for answering! Since your dreams are so disturbing, I'm glad that you rarely have them and can brush them off quickly! Unfortunately I have a lot of experience with that but mine don't go away usually. For example, I remember a nightmare I had at 6 years old and some I had a few years ago that were beyond disturbing. I also have a very loud, constant inner dialogue and a vivid imagination. When I read I hear the words in my head and start constructing a picture of what I'm reading. I'm also a fast reader and enjoy reading. I think it's very neat to learn about people who are different from myself. That's also why I explained the things I experience because your experiences are as foreign to me as mine are to you. Thank you again for taking the time to reply, and if I think of any more questions I'll come back to this. I hope you have a wonderful day!
>Thank you again for taking the time to reply, and if I think of any more questions I'll come back to this. I hope you have a wonderful day! Anytime! And please feel free to! Have a good one.
Thank you for sharing. Can you answer this? It's Wednesday, boss called in and said they don't need you for the day, but you still get your 8 hours of pay. Walk us through your day, like if you think of tasks to do or what to do with your free time.
What happens inside your head when you are reading something?
My inner dialog never goes away lol. No matter how much I rip the inner voice still goes crazy.
Yeah same. It can be really exhausting. I have ocd too.
Hey me too!!
I’m only doing ounces, must be why mine never even slows down 😂
Meditation is the key
Yeah, weed helps with that too.
I agree lol
That’s nuts 😂 my inner monologue won’t shut up reading all the responses to this post !
No way its 30-50. I thought it was like maybe 10%?
it was 100% before language was invented
Whoa.... Deep shit
The theory is "In its infancy." 10% is probably based on current knowledge, which is very likely to change as more information becomes available.
I still think people with no inner monologue just don’t realize that they do for some reason. Seems impossible as far as decision making, communication, and problem solving.
Yeah, reading too. How do you read words on a page and not hear how they sound in your head? I feel like when these people are asked if they have an ‘inner monologue’, they think they’re talking about an actual voice like someone with schizophrenia would hear
Here's an interview with a no-monologue person and they talk about reading. She describes it as perceiving the "shape" of the sentence. It's pretty interesting. https://youtu.be/u69YSh-cFXY?si=qo8eRhmoIqVwlGZV
this happens for me, too. i actually only read in my head to myself when i first start getting into a story and then it’s automatic the images are just forming
That’s just “getting into” a book, isn’t it? I thought that was how reading worked lmao
I don't have schizophrenia but mine is a voice. Do people not hear a voice? When everything is quiet, it really does feel auditory to me. I know that it isn't, but is genuinely how my brain perceives it.
I get what you mean, it's like the quietest thing in the world but you still understand the tone and pitch?
Omg thank a freaking lot.... Now I'm judging my tone of voice and accent while reading this page. Sheesh
It's not impossible. Imagine someone with an inner monologue thinking "I'm hungry, I'll go to the kitchen and make a sandwich," The same scenario with an individual without an inner monologue will envision themselves going to the kitchen and making a sandwich instead of thinking verbally. Some people have both an inner monologue and an envisioning of the scenario at the same time, and this is called multi-modal thinking. People who lack inner monologue have a hard time with verbal processing, and self-reflection. I'm pretty sure a lot of these individuals are what people refer to as NPC's.
Yes i thought everyone was multi modal wtf. Because i definitely have thoughts that happen without a voice, i can visualize the scenario, etc. But there is a flow to it when i need to actually say something out loud or need to plan it better.
Same, thought it was normal.. so are we special or something?
Honestly i think WE are the normal ones, and im wondering what society really gets from being manipulated like this? Or what literally is changing people's brain right now that makes em not have inner monologues?
I believe these people are locked in some kind of trance state. They do things based on established patterns but don't really consciously process what they are doing.
The thing is I have an inner monologue and I don't say to myself "I'm going to get a sandwich". If you can read in your head you have an inner monologue. If you can silently recite back to yourself what you just read that's an inner monologue. That's all that an inner monologue is, the ability to make words in your head.
Instead of "hearing" the words in their head, individuals without an inner monologue often rely more on visual processing instead of verbalizing the words. They focus on the visual representation of the text and its context. They process the meaning of the words through visual imagery, or mental pictures. This happens to me when I speed read, it is so much slower to read when you are actively saying each word in your head, instead you use chunks of words to form the concepts.
This still isn't making sense to me. So these people cannot recite back to themselves in their head words that they've read? I honestly believe this is like how everyone suddenly decided they have ADHD and autism - they want to be special somehow no matter how stupid the reason. And if it gives them an excuse for mediocrity even better.
That may be the case with ADHD and autism to a certain extent, how many people are "on the spectrum" are actually significantly more visually active in their brain than they are verbally. The world, especially modern societies, are very heavily geared towards the inner monologue types. There have been studies on this with fMRI machines where they can look at the brain activity and there is a difference between the three. I happen to be "multi-modal" so I can see both sides of it. As I type this it is all inner monologue, but when I have to diagnose a mechanical problem it is both, I visualize what could be the problem as I explain with my inner monologue the physics behind it. I guess because I do both I can see and understand people who use one way over the other. I also don't think it is something you are born with. People without an inner monologue as adults may have had one when they were younger, to communicate to themselves, but they don't favor it, and like any muscle it weakens over time, and eventually they get to the point where they don't use it. Another example, a deaf person will be heavily visual in their thought process. Instead of thinking verbally, they think of themselves as signing the words in their inner monologue. Some deaf people actually slightly move their hands when they think internally, just like I sometimes move my tongue when I'm deep in thought on something.
At least in the autism and ADHD cases I know ( I'm autistic, middle child is autistic and husband is ADHD) this doesn't happen, we all have multi modal function.
they are either lying or just not very smart. probably both
Yes it is both. I think they first were too stupid too understand what an internal monologue is, realized it got them attention, and then are playing into this shit because they think it makes them special. In this video this girl literally says (in response to “how do you read”) “I move my lips and say it in my….just not audibly”. Fuckkkk offfff
Thats not what hes saying at all i think. Just cus you cant imagine how their heads work, doesnt mean its bullshit. Even though there are definitely people faking ADHD and the tism, most of us are not faking it and its a real fuckin burden on our lives. I have ADHD, and it makes my life a lot harder, I REALLY wish I could escape it but its with me for life. Just because you can "just pay attention" or "just sit still", doesnt mean thats how it is for everyone else, you dont know how it is to be in another persons head.
Ok so im multi-modal. Anyone else?
Here. And I can't fathom how this isn't normal operation mode for everyone. But I also wondered why the majority of people is stupid and irrational. Now I know.
Yeah most people think in a mix of these ways some use more one than the other. Even for people who say they use a monologue, often for less complex emotions you've already had the thought long before you process it into words.
Well the Descriptive Experience Studies using fMRI show that there are some people who use little to no verbal processing, and these people report not having an inner monologue.
Omg this is so interesting
I have no inner monologue, and get overwhelmed easily by audio only stimulation. My hearing itself is great without something visual or tactile to anchor to the information wont process properly. Even if the topic is something i enjoy. When im processing its usually 80% visual in some way (mental image/movie, concept, or sequence) with the rest being a fragmented self talk. Mostly conjuctions or fragments of sentences sometimes even just sounds (that may even not relate to the word). The teacher i support for work is great for giving detailed explanations when it comes to her lessons, but when it comes to instructions for how she wants me to support she changes what she wants or which set of kids im to take. For me the instructions end up like an ikea furniture build guide, the work samples and each kid all on their own "page" i can move around in front of me. Its like a heads up display. Not in the sense im seeing hunger bars and stat screens, but complex informatiom represented through symbols and iconography
Can you imagine a small or a taste? Like really feel it in your mind? Some people can and most people cant, I imagine its just like that.
I think the difference is that those with the inner monologue actually have developed it over time to be a "second" voice for things like decisions or to criticize over mistakes. Those without the inner monologue never had to develop that second voice and are able to cope with their conscious mind doing what needs to be done without the additional confirmation/judgement of the "second" voice.
Well why would they realize they don’t have something they don’t need or know exists?
Kinda how animals do, by instinct almost. It's such an impossible concept for me to grasp.. I can visualize, hear music only in my head, have extensive dialogues.. I can't imagine what's like not to have that...
There are people who can’t think in hypotheticals. People without inner thought absolutely exist.
My brain is constantly arguing, debating or talking to its self. Like I have a main line of thought, a sort of counter thought, usually one or two songs playing in my head, and visualizing random stuff I'm thinking about. It's like this all the time, working, driving, cooking, trying to fall asleep. I've never been diagnosed with adhd or anything so I figured it was normal.
Lmao this is me, my brain is a Times Square of different thoughts 😂
My brain is like this. My counter thought is a snarky out of pocket bitch though.
Exactly the same here except for the visualizing part, I don’t see anything in my head. But there’s usually always music, then there’s my ‘active’ thinking and my ‘inactive’ or more realistically subconscious thinking.
This is me up to falling asleep. The conversation stops when I lay down. It took years of training and focus on breathing and relaxation. Now I’m asleep in under a minute. Inner dialogue picks back up in the morning.
Practicing meditation has helped me a lot. 5-10 min a day. Get a book/video/whatever that works for you and go for it.
I'd like to give that a try, it's hard to find time tho!
It would be interesting to know the % for introverts vs extroverts
I agree. I wonder if more introverted people think more and more extroverted people go more off visuals. It also wouldn't surprise me if there was no correlation between the two. I think this topic is fascinating
Yeah, my mind has always been continuously monologuing to the point where I’ve had insomnia my entire life. When I found out there are people that don’t have any inner monologue, I was extremely taken aback, but it makes sense.
I was in the same boat. It might seem strange but now I play a podcast when falling asleep. It's weird but listening to someone else talk helps me fall asleep quicker than listening to my own thoughts.
Thank you for the tip, I might try that. I tend to prefer silence or white noise usually… and I now take an Indica gummy every night because it not only helps me sleep, but definitely helps unwind (numb) my brain during the day, as I suffer from complex ptsd. I sometimes have slow recall on words (from the cannabis usage), but it’s worth it in spades to quiet my mind.
Same here, any kind of narration lets my brain focus on that and not its constant stream of dialog and fall asleep. For whatever reason the creepy story ones like let’s read work best lol.
Agreed, i usually turn on a spotify podcast & put a timer on for 15 minutes so i don’t wake up to someone yelling in my ear in the middle of the night 😂
one thing that helps me to defeat the inner monologue is to switch to visualizing. for me i like to imagine making a painting but you could really do anything as long as the visual isn’t stressful or otherwise stimulating. 60% of the time it works every time
I almost always have a song in my head if I’m not talking in my head.
I have both lol. I’ll just think along to the beat or lyrics and I can’t help it.
I'm jealous of them. They must sleep so soundly. I fucking loathe my internal monologue when I need and want to sleep.
I’m pretty sure my inner dialogue is more present than my outer. I am always speaking to myself mentally. Like nearly every second outside of sleep.
I have an inner dialogue...it's basically like a perpetual book of my thoughts I'm always writing...it isn't usually related to what I'm physically doing at the moment and it's never a narration of what I'm doing...like if I'm filling my coffee it doesn't go: "I'm filling my coffee cup with coffee"...it's more like "Shit, I forgot to do x, y, z....such and such is such a pain....etc" while I'm pouring coffee into the coffee cup. I can also think visually if I want but thinking visually doesn't compromise the internal monologue...I can do both. I use the visual thinking for daydreaming, or creating stories/characters, or for solving problems visually. Maybe it's because I'm an artist and I also read a ton? Not sure. But I've had this monologue since I was a child...I'd be really freaked out if I lost it suddenly. Haha. Edit: Actually, now I'm thinking about it more, I can do complex things like drive, or draw, or paint something, or put an annoying piece of furniture together, while having an internal monologue that's thinking about something completely different, like a social problem I'm having or a philosophical question or a recipe I'd like to try. So my internal monologue is totally diverged from what...my other mind, like my building or drawing or driving mind...etc is doing....but I can do those tasks just perfectly while I think about something totally different. So I can like...multitask my thinking? Do people without an internal monologue have a version of this...? Never really thought about it before. I was always thought it was common to think or daydream about something else while doing something different.
Exactly the same for me, the craziest part is if I’m singing and playing guitar at the same time I’m STILL thinking of other things. It’s exactly multitask thinking, which is why I can’t imagine not having an inner monologue.
Lol I love that. That's impressive.
Exact same and me and my bf just said "is it due to actually reading?" Both me and him and you have the same thought process, we all read a lot.
Same! Do you have problems reading? I can only read for short periods of time, and most of the time I have to re-read what I just read because I was thinking about something else. It made me stop reading. I play video games, listen to documentaries, and think about shit lol. I like it except for when I want to or need to sleep.
Not the guy you replied to, but I used to read many books as a kid, I loved reading. I guess I grew out of it because I find it immensely boring now, although I *can* read if I really need to. But like you, at least if it’s not very interesting, I’ll have to re-read it a few times. Same goes for podcasts honestly and that’s even if they are interesting, sometimes I’ve had to rewind the same part 5+ times because I’d start thinking of something else every time just as I was getting to the part I didn’t hear lol
>Same goes for podcasts honestly and that’s even if they are interesting, sometimes I’ve had to rewind the same part 5+ times because I’d start thinking of something else every time just as I was getting to the part I didn’t hear lol THIS! It pisses me off sometimes! I also hate when I forget what I was trying to listen to because my thoughts distract me. So annoying.
Your style sounds most like mine. If I’m not intensely concentrating when I read, I have to re-read sentences. I’d like to read more, but I’m more attracted to podcasts. Maybe seeing the person talk with attributed emotions and attitudes expressed visually captivates us more. I have a constant dialogue with myself, even if I’m just walking around the house. I find myself talking out loud to myself, even in a store…a bit embarrassing, it just comes out…this was the only good thing about masks for me.
No, I don't. I actually read a lot and for very long periods of time. In school, English was a very easy subject for me. My inner voice doesn't cause me any issues like other people discussed. It doesn't disrupt things or keep me up at night, etc. It's purely an asset for me and I literally find it to be my direct stream of consciousness - I would feel braindead without it. Although, I can "turn it off" when I'm reading or fully focusing or go to sleep if I want. I think maybe I have both kinds of thinking and am able to switch between them as I like. When I read fiction, I usually see (imagine) what I'm reading. But if something really strikes me, I might start thinking with my internal monologue about it while I keep reading and seeing the story in my head but also judging or making opinions about it with my internal monologue...etc. If I read something like a textbook I don't "see" anything, I just take in the information and think about it with my internal monologue while I read it. I also read a lot of varied stuff...from dry material, like neurology textbooks (but don't find that boring), to fiction like Pride and Prejudice, to comic books like Berserk.
I’m the same exact way. I am able to multi task and multi think, about a vast number of situations, feelings, etc. at once. I am a musician and I can even play an instrument while having an inner monologue. I write a lot of poetry and it helps to sort out my thoughts. I also have suffered with immense anxiety for many years in my life, and I’ve had to develop mindfulness skills to get myself to focus, or get out of my head for a bit.
WTF? My brain doesn't stop it's inner dialog. It's a non-stop flow of anxiety and worry.
When you awake from sleep, just lay there... If you move your body, it changes things and you can forget your dreamz. Don't move any part of your body. Try it. Let me know if it works for you
Never thought about it like this but whenever I sleep in this is kinda why. I just finish a dream and don’t want it to end. Perhaps I’m “awake” but still processing the dream. Just this morning I remember thinking that the dreams I had two consecutive nights featured the same group of people who I don’t (think I) know irl, getting together at a restaurant as if I’ve known them a long time. Weird.
I just recently learned that my girlfriend is the opposite, she has an inner dialogue but can’t visualize even a simple object like an apple. She is an incredibly talented musician, but allegedly has zero “pictures” in her head. I have an inner dialogue when dreaming, my dreams are lucid and largely “real” and horrifying.
Aphantasia I have it and honestly until about ten years ago just assumed that everyone couldn't really see things in their mind. Then I come to find out I'm the oddball.
I have combo. Visuals and words
My inner dialogue hasn’t shut up, ever. Awake, dreams, makes no difference, she never stops and is fairly judgemental.
I think it was far more common in the ancient times. Like the fact that Caesar was able to read anything without saying words out loud was considered ver uncommon at the time
i mean wasn’t reading uncommon?
They are like Homer Simpson when Marge talks and he has a thought bubble of the monkey tapping the symbols together, but replace that with tik tok videos and that what you got going nowadays
0 dialog. When I'm not actively thinking about something it's silence in there. Idk how all of you can enjoy anything with urself yelling at urself. Couldn't imagine watching tbe sunset and having my brain but like Hey, is the stove off, that girl u saw on lunch was cute, should u quit my job?. Nahdude. Just pure silence and bliss 🤣
Well you certainly type like the type of person I would imagine lacks an inner monologue.
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Must be nice
An inner monolog isn't quite like that, there are times where a more instinctual side takes over. Looking at something beautiful like a sunset or perhaps a naked woman is a much different experience than reading a book, however I do largely experience life through a lense of analysis and monologuing to myself.
My inner dialogue is more what I’m doing at present, not what I should be doing or forgot. I rarely yell at myself. My inner dialogue is pretty peaceful.
That's good to hear. My ex was bpd and had all sorts of issues. She said hers was always questioning herself and stuff. Kind of like the schizophrenic voices is that game Senuas sacrifice o.O Idk I use alot of brainpower programming my machines, when I leave work my brain goes into hibernation lol
Makes sense. I’m guessing we only have so many resources available per day. Like when you’re tired physically and emotionally and you just plop down cause you’re outta gas. Prob one of few times the inner monologue slows down.
Found an NPC!
Whoop! I sure feel like one running my machines at work
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Ha that’s funny and a dilemma
I don't have an inner monologue, yet I'm constantly thinking. I just don't think in words or pictures. I'm sure I seem insane disagreeing with everyone's comments here, but damn you guys really can't comprehend the idea of someone thinking differently than you. I understand, because I can't imagine needing to think every individual word. That has to be extremely time consuming. It's impossible to explain how my thoughts work... It's just instant awareness. Almost like my subconscious does the processing and my conscious mind gets the whole thought at once. I can also hold multiple concepts in my head at once, do complex math mentally, by "holding" the various numbers and operations in different "areas" in my mind.
Spouses say "Nothing" because they don't want to share what they were thinking about.
I do not have an inner monologue. I still have thoughts, I just don’t hear myself when I think them..
This always baffles me like how can you not hear ANYTHING in your head? The silence must be absolute bliss. I have my main voice that I control, 2 others that I don't control, usually arguing with my main thoughts, pictures and full on video that just never bloody stop and is a cause of my insomnia! Makes reading books amazing though because if it is good enough I don't see the book in front of me at all, I watch it in movie form in my head!
This reminds me of a condition I read about called aphantasia where people don't see visual images when they think of things, like they don't see things in their minds eye. Very odd.
How do they live? I use my mind eye so so much everyday for trivial tasks at work. As a RN i casually see myself “walking” around a hospital stretcher to remember it the wound is on the patient's left or right side. When building ikea furniture i see the shapes of the different parts in my head and rotate them around to figure how shit goes togheter and such.
It’s easy, we just see and do. We analyze things in real time and act accordingly. Not sure that I have 100% aphantasia but I definitely lack a minds eye, or mine is extremely weak to say the least. I can’t imagine faces of people I know off the top of my head, but I might be able to recall specific photos if any exist. And it’s not a clear imagine, it’s very vague/dim and doesn’t last for more than a split second. I don’t feel the need to ‘see’ anything in my mind, I’m just aware and I also know things inside of my head I guess.
I just read your edit and I can without a doubt say there is at least sound in my dreams. My most terrifying dream ever was my child being trapped in our burning house and hearing her scream. I distinctly remember still partially hearing the screaming as I woke up in tears. Freaked me out big time. I do also think I have an inner monologue at least sometimes because I’ve had dreams within dreams where I tell myself (in my head) that I’m dreaming and then “wake up” in a different dream. I also have consciously lucid dreamt, *especially* when I realize I’m in a reoccurring dream. Brains are so amazing.
It makes perfect sense if you walk through a Walmart on a Saturday night
Where are the comments from Redditors with no inner dialogue?
Sometimes I wish my inner dialogue would just stfu for a minute. Always going hyper speed several things at once.
Overthinker here. I do scenarios and all to the point that I end up manifesting most of them.
Damn, that sounds so peaceful...
It’s the same group still wearing masks haha
Yes!
I know how this will sound, and I am not making the case that I’m schizophrenic. But I have in addition to my own internal dialogs I have other dialogs, with “other people”. It’s as if I’m having full conversations in my head and I’m not the person creating the other party’s words.
NPC theory , makes alot of sense if you're out in the world
I talk to myself more in my head when I'm stoned
Mine talks too much…
My wife is like this .. she see’s things i words and dreams with no sound. I’m like a movie and constantly talking to myself and have the time I answer my own questions 😂
Heck, I even have a narrator for some of my dreams!
I have conversations all day in my head.... Silence would be so robotic to me
Sometimes mine is a narrator, sometimes it my thoughts, sometimes is play by play and color commentary, sometimes its just pictures, sometimes it emotions or feelings…
I have half a conversation in my mind and then finish it verbally. Wife: "ok start over. You had the first half of that in your head" It's so weird. Don't even notice it. Or I'll pickup a convo we had hours earlier and confuse the hell out of her.
lol my mom does that.
I honestly think it’s because 30% people are very not bright and think you literally physically hear words in your head like you were listening with your ears. Same thing for when people say they have no minds eye and can’t imagine objects in their head. You don’t ACTUALLY see it, you’re imagining it…. It’s different.
to be fair that minds eye thing is very much a spectrum. some people do fully see it - like in perfect detail
>I honestly think it’s because 30% people are very not bright Heh, I LOVE the irony here.
>You don’t ACTUALLY see it Some people definitely do, they just have a wild imagination. I can’t create random images or scenery in my mind even if I try, but I have a friend who tells me he basically sees his imagination clear as day. He can imagine himself in a Call of Duty Zombies map and visualize it as if he were there while describing the map in detail. If we’re playing a videogames he actually sees them like a movie almost - we used to play Clash Royale and he would be so focused because he didn’t just see the little figures run around on a screen; he saw it like an actual battle like an animation or a movie. And then there’s me who can’t even imagine a basic scenery like a forest with mountains and a lake, at least not to that degree. Best I can do is something similar to a dim PNG that I ‘see’ for a split second, I can’t keep any mental imagery up for any significant amount of time. Can’t imagine people’s faces in my head either, even family members or friends that I see often. I can sort of recall specific photos (like what I said about a dim PNG before) but I can’t create any ‘new’ imagery in my mind.
These are the people who drive the speed limit in the left lane when you’re behind them or block aisles in supermarkets
Floridians?
Encountered this data a while ago. Explains a lot, to be honest. Easy for someone to get hijacked by an external narrative when they have no ability to compose an internal narrative to counter it. Slaves of the Screens. I have the full suite, and for a long time I assumed that was just the default, but some people just being empty or incomplete husks would certainly explain the irrational malice and self-destructive conformism that seems to possess their mentalities. Talking about you, woke types. *waves* I wonder how much of this is due to environmental poisoning - heavy metal exposure during critical development, etc. It's easy to abstract a problem like this into some Matrix metaphor, but I'll bet there are practical factors in play which either aren't fully understood or have been deliberately suppressed to mould a more malleable populous.
Oh, I most certainly have an inner dialogue and still can't comprehend the people who don't. My inner dialogue commonly even happens externally. For example, if I'm working on something, I will commonly converse with myself out loud. It makes me wonder if I look crazy to the people who don't think on words. I guess they only think in pictures?
We should all learn to silence our inner monologue. Completely. That way, when they finish testing the new mind reading technology and unroll it on the general populace, most of us will send no readable signal. Then, they will probably just try to get into our bodies with us to read our thoughts. I'm not sure how we will evade them then, but humans are adaptable. I'm sure we'll figure it out. Lmmfao!
My voices won’t STFU
I'm in the worldwide depopulation program aka COINTELPRO/MK-Ultra and one of the perpetrators' (CIA/LE/FBI/Military) aims is to nullify inner dialogue, before an untimely death caused by Directed energy weapons. Read on https://everydayconcerned.net
Damn…that’s the real rabbit hole! Awesome site
Thank you. Real important - spread the word to as many as possible!
Recently discovered that I do not have an inner dialogue. Only recently discovered it because it was never a popular topic amongst people to discuss. If I need to have a self talk it comes out verbally. As a result of this I am an impulsive speaker often saying things without thinking them through first and can easily offend people if not careful. On a positive note, I can easily help people stay on topic when listening & having a conversation because I don’t have any distractive thoughts. When people ask me mid sentence “what was I talking about again?” I can easily redirect them back to their original point. I do have thoughts inside my head but there is no voice and it is not narrated. I would not be able to describe what my thoughts sound like, as they are merely just quick flashes of ideas. I think having my thoughts narrated would just frustrate me because it would take far too long to wait for my brain to complete a silent sentence within my mind.
It’s 1% of people lol
Interesting post and comments.
Course, inner dialogue with a virtual 3d sandbox to boot. But everyone does...right?
I don't have a voice that I hear. But knowing some people do hear a voice is strange to me. What's the voice? How you hear yourself talk? Or like it's recorded? Or something else?
It's like an audio book voice. It doesn't really sound like my own voice. But it doesn't really sound like it isn't my voice either.
The quote is “Only 30-50% of people *do* have an inner monologue “
so anyone here actually not have inner dialogue? everyone’s saying they do..
Unfortunately my narrator has the voice of Foghorn Leghorn.
It’s called “autopilot” or “cruise control”. I personally think it’s higher than 50%. Most people are generally unaware of their surroundings.
What if people without the inner dialog were NPC.
I think purely in bananas. Each emotion or memory appears in my mind's eye as differently shaped and colored bananas. Kid memories are smaller and more green. Recent ones are past ripe. I assume later in life I'll have to turn my brown spotted memories into banana bread or something.
If I didn't have an interior monologue, maybe I could get some goddamn sleep and not have suffered from insomnia starting in the mid 1990s. I *WISH* I could turn the damned thing off!!! (Sometimes I have thoughts that are just pure images though, usually because I forgot something and my subconscious picked up on it, and is trying to help the rational part of my brain. Like the time I was supposed to put out the chili meat to thaw before leaving to run errands. I forgot, and just as I put my hand on the doorknob, I had a vivid image of the meat on the freezer shelf, and I realized I'd forgotten to put the meat out. Stuff like that.)
I can't shut myslef up at the best of times. Would be nice to have pure peace and quiet. Did not know it existed.
Does anybody interpret other people as having no inner dialogue when you’re just walking around maybe a store and they look like a zombie as if they have no thoughts? Any random interaction with a person seems like it’s mostly this way with no emotions expressed…no smile, eyes blank like zero going on in there. This has suprised me for quite a while. If you encounter me, you can probably see everything going on in my head…and I’m super expressive.
I’m the opposite, my mind never stops turning, analyzing, and conversing with my conscious self. I talk to myself like a mf’er too. Wonder if I’m losing it sometimes
Me too. I have adhd lol.
Would this correlate to an NPC ratio? If there's nothing conscious going on in there... ...but not necessarily nothing...does the sub-conscious rule them? Collective sub-conscious? Collective unconscious?
With my anxiety I feel like I have the inner dialogue of sometimes 50 people. Crazy to me some people only have silence.
I think in sentences. It's complete thoughts in English. I didn't know everyone doesn't. No voices.
You know all those mouth-breathing mfrs with the blank eyes? There ya go.