Do you have an inner monologue, and how do people without one think?

[Anonymous]

at least some of the time do you speak to yourself or hear your voice in your head? and for those of you who don’t how does that even work? I can’t conceive it.

yes

no

[ArrowheadSW]

Yes, I have an inner monologue. I HAVE heard of people who do not think in terms of words or sentences. From my understanding, they think in terms of concepts. Like if they are thinking of going to the store to go grocery shopping, they think of getting in the car and shopping in the store for what they need.

Funny I was just thinking of this a couple of weeks ago and I did some internet research on the percentage of people who are like this. There were varying percentages but it was more than I thought.

[ArrowheadSW]

The other thing is that some people can’t visualize things in their mind. Such as if someone says, “Picture in your mind a bridge over a river”, most people can imagine a bridge over a river. However some people can not do this and they really have no “mind’s eye”. This is called “aphantasia”. Different than the inner monologue thing because it involves visual concepts rather than language.

[Orion84]

I've never understood the whole "inner monologue" thing.

I think to myself in sentences, but I don't "hear a voice" when I think. It's more like I'm reading my thoughts as if they were written on a piece of paper. I don't "see" the words, or anything; there's just no "voice" in my head.

I'm not sure if that qualifies as an inner monologue, or not.

[Asker]

I narrate what’s going on in my head.

[Orion84]

Ah, ok; yeah, I don't have that.

[CriminallyInsane]

I mostly say it out loud. I'd only have to go inner monologue if other people are around but if they are, I'm probably talking to one of them, not myself

[RandomGirl42]

Yes, but I often don't listen to her. 🤣

[queenofcardio]

Yes, I have personal ones. I say certain things to myself when I need to push myself or in trying times.

[AngryCarl3]

I do have an inner monologue but I mostly use it for reading and posting on GaG, or just ruminating in bed. It would be worse than useless when I'm playing rapid chess, where I have a few seconds to find a move that doesn't lose on the spot.

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

I think of it as universal, demonstrating consciousness. I don't think anyone can be deprived of that, but I think we may have different ways to name or identify it.

[Kaneki05]

I don't know, I think I don't but it's also vague in what that even means as what others class as hearing I may not? To me that may just be equal to thinking right?

[Nikki1989]

Language and thoughts are more separable than most people intuitively assume.

[RavVid]

Yes I do but my concentration levels are high and it shuts off. More for idle moments.

[Anonymous]

Sure doesn't everyone 🙃🤭

Yet it's not always like a third person

[Anonymous]

Yes, all the time.

People without it are not very intelligent.

[TrueConfection]

I actually think out loud way too often. 🥸

[DryGermanGuy]

Unless I’m waking up from cryosleep, yes.

[exitseven]

Yes, it is deafening at times

[Abbycado]

Yep.