Why Some People Don't Have an Inner Monologue

[@stdesy]

I really can’t conceive how anyone can think without inner monologue

[@Soosane]

I'm pretty sure I don't have an inner monologue and for me, you just know. There are no needs for words or to "talk to yourself" through the process. You just get there immediately.

[@larbur9342]

@@Soosane So you don’t weigh the pros and cons of your decisions?

[@SamualN]

some people act purely off instinct and you can normally tell who those people are

[@electrowave114]

I just think primarily in images, impressions, and occasionally some emotions, not words. So no true inner speech, but there is a type of thought process.

[@Soosane]

@@larbur9342 Basically like Aura Guard said. I use images. No words are involved. For thinking about pros and cons, I imagine if I did option A ad what would happen (in images), same for option B and that would help me come to a conclusion.

[@Cherri_Stars]

I feel like reading a book for a while completely changes my inner speech. Like suddenly I'll notice myself thinking in the tone of the book's narration.

[@nat.gunder9611]

Or a tv show, the inner voice might be a character...who..knows in this world

[@Hakumeiun]

I get that too! I even choose certain books to intentionally shift my internal voices, in order to control the narrative style of my writing. It's very useful when I'm not reading trash, which--let's be honest--is most of the time...

[@avancalledrupert5130]

Surly that's just your voice

[@BacadoTheSkoggy]

I do that with KZbin videos, sometimes my thoughts sound like someone making a reaction video about my life

[@kbearrs]

Oh my gosh I thought I was the only one, last year I was re-reading Harry Potter and reading a lot of HP FanFiction and at some point my inner speech had a British accent

[@HeatherSpoonheim]

Does anyone else listen to music in their head? I'm not talking about singing internally, I'm talking about listening to songs, with or without vocals, and hearing the various instruments or sections. Also not talking about ear worms, where you get a song stuck in your head, but having conscious control over what sort of music you want to hear and which piece.

[@SomeGuy1117]

It's like a shitty radio up there (for me) lol.

[@onewithsocks]

YEESSS. Like an internal mp3 player

[@lisadooley3872]

Yes I can do that

[@lisadooley3872]

And another thing that my brain does is when it gets overloaded I hear a toilet flush and my brain seems to calm down after it

[@theobnoxiousgamer9624]

Yes, but actually listening to it is more satisfying. But a shitty alternative I’ll take.

[@mistressmozart]

the noise in my head never stops. It's constant monologue, dialogue, running commentary, imaginary conversations, replaying things, music, memories, and on and on and on...

[@WildBearFoot]

It's maddening isn't it? It's like a party in a small room, everyone fighting to be heard, singing, arguing, a cacophony of madness.

[@mistressmozart]

@@WildBearFoot yeah sometimes I'd give anything for some peace and quiet :D

[@joseaguirre744]

I’m the same way. I stay up late having conversations with myself & remember past events. I feel like you have to be lobotomized to have your inner monologue shut downed.

[@zoemccoy7799]

some nights it drives me a little crazy to be honest

[@erikboesephoto]

Same here! What are the odds you are neurodivergent? either autistic or adhd? I'm both and there's definitely a correlation for me.

[@theseculartheist3239]

"...you can talk about it amongst...yourself." "We" had a good laugh at that one.

[@krnt13]

sus...

[@emmaclements8448]

Sounding like golem there...

[@AlgorithmicHearts]

that weird moment when I read you comment at the same time he said it

[@jooot_6850]

We… are Venom.

[@jeff_the_killer999]

Lol dont worry bro I also call my voice by third person but lately it's just been me ig he took a break for a bit 😔

[@andypmz07]

I've been in a 19 year long conversation with myself, it was a rocky relationship the first 10 years, but we've grown to accept each other.

[@Pleasing_view]

How?

[@systemoverrider4270]

Idk you get used to it maybe

[@Lacter12]

lol

[@thephoenixsystem6765]

I literally have DID and I approve this comment

[@gaddis8263]

Same but for 23 years and it took us like 22.5 years to accept each other.

[@lorefreak94]

I remember asking someone if they think to themself in words. They were convinced I hear voiced and were scared of me. This is when I learned not everyone has an inner monolouge.

[@celisewillis]

Being scared of someone who hears voices is completely ridiculous. People with schizophrenia or DID or other stigmatized illnesses are way more likely to be VICTIMS of violence than perpetrators. So if anything, you're safest around people who hear voices, haha

[@marionow6227]

Or not everyone is aware that they are having inner dialogues...

[@Periwinkleaccount]

I think you were just explaining badly.

[@FLdancer00]

@@Periwinkleaccount Nope. There's a lady who had her first thought at 24 and she believed she was possessed by the devil because of it. It's how she learned about an inner monologue.

[@Periwinkleaccount]

@@FLdancer00 who?

[@shawnbowser9187]

Dude, I can literally hear music in complete silence. I could be sitting in a dark room, with only the sound of my own breathing, and I can clearly hear movie quotes, or lines from a video game with the correct voice actor. I can see things in my head too. I’ll zone out in class sometimes and just stare at the wall. But I don’t see the wall. Im seeing whatever it is im thinking about

[@fryoungtrad]

This is called audiation, and anyone can do it if they develop the skill. It used to be core to our survival up until the industrial revolution.

[@pugnacious6290]

Same, I literally have no idea how a person functions without this ability. I’m seeing a lot of people in the comments section claiming they can’t process images in their head. Like do they never zone out and just imagine weird scenarios? How can they do it if they’re not hearing/seeing anything in their mind?

[@deadpoetz7]

You have been programmed correctly

[@morbidcorvid9294]

​@@pugnacious6290 I can't hear music in my head, maybe my own muttering of it but nothing close to perfect. Can't see anything either, I think in ideas and feelings, words, nothing auditive or images.

[@Tardisntimbits]

I HAVE to do this when I'm having an MRI, because the panic of being shoved into a tube is overwhelming for me.

[@NajwaLaylah]

I cannot imagine *not* having inner speech.

[@NoThankUBeQuiet]

Hi I dont

[@PJ3232PJ]

When I think about it, this voice in my head says, stop it!

[@TexasWench]

I don't either unless I'm reading.

[@zyctc000]

@@NoThankUBeQuiet Could you please describe what is going on in your mind when you are thinking about something? Curious.

[@jacquelinele9170]

@@NoThankUBeQuiet I am also curious about what your thoughts look like lol although idk how someone would describe that

[@funtimefoxyfan8309]

As someone who can’t ever catch a second of silence in my own head, I find the idea of some people not even _having_ an inner monologue baffling

[@soniaortiz9904]

Same!!!

[@Erzeby]

I don't have inner voice but I do have inner monologue and everytime I'm completely shocked some people hear a literal voice when they think. Like, what do you mean it was not only a cartoon thing??? Despite not having an inner voice, is not quiet. I would describe having thoughts as the sea, there are waves all the time, sometimes calm and others like a storm.

[@Marcos0ne]

Yep, I literally stay up til like 2am daily cause the voice just keeps on thinking and talking as I lay in bed with my eyes closed lol.

[@pixelgirl843]

YES, I don't understand how they function either!

[@nonono9194]

It's why there's so many NPCs who don't have any opinions or views or thoughts of their own, they use society/mass media for that

[@aComedicPianist]

“The purpose of internal speech may be to catch errors when you talk.” Oh, is that why my inner speech is so perfect and my spoken speech is weirdly gibberish?

[@PhillyTornadoSpin]

Same here!

[@michaels8628]

My inner voice sounds so much deeper and cooler than my actual voice.

[@daton3630]

@@michaels8628 same lol

[@pramada9431]

@@michaels8628 same. I'm bilingual and my inner speech has perfect English with no stumbling over words or stuttering but when I actually talk in English it's a mess.

[@ether3896]

Sad but true :(

[@maryf6284]

Can confirm one can absolutely change one’s inner voice. Years of effort to speak more kindly to myself and to dispute self-criticism = hugely worth it

[@dandymcgee]

Wow.. that's deep. You uncovered a superpower that everyone has and most people don't even know it!

[@terryheimendinger5181]

It’s insane hearing someone talk about “maybe we can train ourselves to have multiple monologues with different voices or to have more consistent conversations with ourselves” when literally this is how I think 100% of the time

[@tvold9204]

Same.

[@bigz9102]

Yea I do the same lol

[@devononair]

The harder I try to hear a voice in my head, the more silence I hear.

[@artwithjam3304]

One time I tried naming all the different kinds of monologues I have in my head... I haven't really heard any of them after that, but there turned out to be about 20.

[@Betielix]

Same here. Well not 100% of the time, but if I want I can do it.

[@brianatippens3010]

It absolutely blows my mind that not everyone has an inner monologue. I feel like there’s a completely separate world in my head…where I see images, I re-experience different situations, I talk to myself, I reflect on things I’ve done and said, I contemplate different ideas, have conversations with other people, analyze and discuss situations with myself while I’m in them…I mean I couldn’t live without an inner world. I feel like it keeps me sane. It’s how I make sense of everything. It’s constant, I’m always aware of it….it’s the real me, my true reality.

[@yo_victoria]

I've been mind blown that people REALLY DO have inner monologues and can imagine objects or places in their mind as clear as day. I guess the idea that not everyone processes imagination the same had never occurred to me 😬 I'm actually extremely envious of you, and other people that can. Now that I'm aware of this phenomenon, I feel like I'm missing out on this whole human experience. But I do find all of this fascinating, it's been a fun rabbit hole to fall into 😊

[@Gradymeister]

@@yo_victoria It has it's pros and cons. It never shuts up. I wish I could experience silence in my head lmfao

[@runrabbitrun5437]

Me, 24/7 😑

[@bradleyparker7284]

❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@tuckh5110]

@@yo_victoria same lol, I got full blown aphantasia and have never been able to experience the world most people do. But it is a fun little thing to learn and wonder about

[@jbr84tx]

It's not just a monologue, it's not even a dialogue--it's a polylogue--a whole committee sometimes.

[@vintyprod]

Hahahahah best comment

[@scifitony]

I was just going to comment along those lines! I feel like sometimes my brain takes up multiple positions on a topic and I'm debating with myselves!

[@frankiedirk1099]

Touch thumbs brother! I legit have a party going on up here!

[@poohbeardrawz8043]

yeah; like the smarty pants in your head, the happy over-the-top person... its basically like inside-out!

[@creativedesignation7880]

I have that experience aswell and with me the reason for that is that I have dissociative identity disorder (DID). If you have several voices in your head, DID might be a reason for that. I don't mean to worry anyone (btw I don't even perceive my condition as a disorder, or as something negative at all), but you might want to look into that, if you have similar experiences on a regular basis. In many cases that condition doesn't need any treatment, but knowing about it can be very helpfull in gaining a better understanding of yourself. Also in case you happen to receive any treatment for an unrelated mental issue, you might want to know about whether you have DID, since it changes drastically how common issues like anxiety or depression need to be treated.

[@keila_klips]

my inner monologue never stops and in order to listen to you, my head voice repeats your words internally and then I have side opinions coming through in the mix as well

[@farhinyasarkhan9157]

Uss brooo xD its sooo damn hard to sleep

[@DirtyBobBojangles]

Sounds like hell

[@Miniya]

Oh my gosh same. My brain just repeats everything someone says if I don’t actively focus on listening AND understanding and not “just hearing”, which is exhausting bc sometimes I do listen but don’t get anything of what someone said bc I didn’t comprehend any of it 😭

[@karlafernanda2715]

Omg same, and also when I read I need to sound it all out in my mind or I comprehend basically nothing. Honestly it’s exhausting and I hate that I always need to have something in my mind. Sometimes when I want the voice to shut up I listen to music but even then my inner voice is humming to it, so yikes

[@BrandonMcCurry999]

That genuinely sounds like a pain in the ass

[@alphyishere]

I'm insanely aware of my inner monologue, I talk to myself in my head all the time and I'm aware of it.

[@flygonfiasco9751]

Same. It’s really annoying. I’ve fallen into depressions from it. I kinda thought everyone did that though, but I guess not

[@TheLilKarma]

I thought most people had this :p Its rarely quiet. But seems not

[@tonyrainbolt9388]

Me, too. It switches between describing what I'm doing, or a mostly one-sided argument based on past arguments (real or imagined).

[@BJCMXY]

Monologue? Lucky... Try having a whole endless crowd...😑

[@rumblefish9]

I'm the same way to the point that I have an overwhelming urge to actually say it out loud which is why I talk to myself even as an adult.

[@SuperConfidentman]

I went to a school for disabled children. One of my classmates had a severe speech impairment due to cerebral palsy. Our teacher once asked her whether the speech impairment was present in her inner speech. She said no - it sounded normal inside her head.

[@fleepity]

That's very weird. Cuz I thought the voice inside ur head would be based off how u hear it when u speak

[@unrealomida1]

⁠@@fleepity Yes and no, it’s normally different when you more so think about how you speak out loud, but when your just thinking, it’s never a clear voice of yourself to other people because your not focusing on it. Either way it’s pretty cool

[@fleepity]

@@unrealomida1 mines pretty much exactly how I sound, just without the fumbling from talking too quick that I sometimes do

[@keeptaiwanfree]

@@fleepityinteresting, mine doesn’t sound like my actual voice so much. but it feels more like the real me, the actual voice of who i am. not how i’m perceived to other people

[@fleepity]

@@keeptaiwanfree out of curiosity are u some flavour of trans / nonbinary.

[@EmmaLiza]

I still remember the one history class where one of my (Egyptian-Australian) classmates came in talking about having being approached by another (Turkish-Australian) student asking him if he thought in English or Arabic, being like "who thinks in actual words?" This was the day we discovered some people don't have an inner monologue, and he discovered other people do.

[@ebonyblack4563]

I used to be confused on the concept of inner monolog because I too don't default to actual words, I was far into my teens when I even started to do that and still have to imagine there's someone else I'm speaking with; I have no self directed inner speech. Now, probably because I'm neural divergent, I do sometimes 'script' things ahead of conversations to help me during them later, but this isn't inner speech so much as priming for an event, practicing. Even when I began writing as a hobby I didn't develop an inner monolog, and still find them distracting/emersion breaking in stories. For the longest time I thought inner speech was a kind of trope or concept I didn't quite 'get' like so many other social things and expectations, I just accepted it refered to something that I was supposed to accept but might never understand.

[@rawdaaljawhary4174]

Wow, that's fascinating! Does your friend think in a visual logic and language structure?

[@boginoid]

It's actually funny how it changed for me as I got better in English. First it was always in my native language and I had to go through the mental gymnastics to translate it. Now it depends on the enviroment: I think native when I talk to my fellow countrymen, watch or read stuff in my native language. Mostly Emglish otherwise due to spending a lot of time speaking/hearing English in my daily life (work+hobbies). Sometimes it's just abstract without having any wordly shape and I struggle to translate them into any language.

[@CharlesPayet]

@@boginoid the moment I realized that I was becoming fluent in German, was while taking an early morning shower. It suddenly occurred to me that I was thinking about my day ahead *in German, in my head.* It was the coolest thing! And even though I haven’t lived in Germany for decades, I can still switch between English & German almost at will.

[@boginoid]

@@CharlesPayet Haha, always those shower thoughts. Best place to ponder.

[@brannenpark4165]

Say I have an appointment on Wednesday with my therapist. I could spend Friday - Tuesday literally having the appointment’s conversation play out in my head 1000’s of times.

[@SieMiezekatze]

I just have music all the time and it never stops, I don't really think outwardly ? Is like unconscious thinking, my brain does it thing like I speak six languages and if I need to think of a phrase or something is just silence and then I get my answer and I don't voiced it out loud (head) is just there . maybe I will smile or be satisfied but I don't go over the details , my friends are creeped out by this since I am able to think or continue talking without pauses but is cause I don't think , during a test, there is silence when I have to read the questions I just hum it, then start writing and I heard the sound of the pen against paper in my head . until I have finished written it

[@robert.adamek]

@@SieMiezekatzeMusic only plays in my head unwarranted when I smoke weed lol

[@EdinoRemerido]

Avarage introvert:

[@Timeward76]

But not Thursday, Thursday is a break day.

[@frostyhamster3116]

That is replaying a memory, it has nothing to do with inner dialogues

[@ChristophelusPulps]

"It's really hard to measure internal experiences!" You just summarized all of psychology in one sentence.

[@kingeternal_ap]

"The mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell"

[@albertjackinson]

@@kingeternal_ap How does that relate to this?

[@himanbam]

Behavioral psychology though

[@Dan0RG]

@@albertjackinson It doesn't. That's kinda the point of the meme.

[@albertjackinson]

@@Dan0RG I see. And that's likely the only meme I understand often.

[@rowark4385]

when you're watching a video about inner speech and missing parts and having to go back because your own inner monologue can't shut up for 5 minutes so you can listen to someone else... lol

[@julianafelixusa]

Lol I completely understand 😅🙃

[@nicolasribeiro7914]

same

[@Getorix]

Add dyslexia to that and it becomes a chore to read a book.

[@paulgebauer7516]

I cannot imagine how someone could function without that inner speech. I honestly thought the only time your inner speech stopped is when you die

[@betsybattles2696]

totally true!

[@leepope3500]

"Can you all shut up for a minute." - Is still the weirdest thing I've said to myself.

[@aamu3]

mostly when I'm feeling super depressed I have to tell my inner voice to shut up because it makes things even worse, then I have to do something to literally get my mind off of the depressive thoughts

[@leepope3500]

@@aamu3 I hear you friend. Try to think of at least two things you love about yourself before you criticize yourself

[@aamu3]

@@leepope3500 yeah, once I realize I'm spiraling I try to change tone and talk to myself in a well-meaning manner, as if I were a child. Sometimes it's really hard to even just realize what you're actually thinking :(

[@danielawesome36]

@@aamu3 Sometimes, you gotta talk to yourself like you are someone who cares and loves you. Not romantically, but just _love._ That's sometimes difficult, especially when the depression disappears(or does it?) and self-hate and/or regret takes over.

[@hughmann1927]

@@aamu3 Depression for me is mainly inflammatory with a root to mindset as well. It's better for me when I'm eating for my body (I can't tolerate carbs so I'm keto [Mediterranean] but I'm not strict, I also have omega 3 and vitamin c. Enough potassium etc) Anxiety, if you ever get it was my body telling me that something is wrong on all occasions. My worst, was when my gut flora wasn't up to scratch. Fixed it :)

[@joanrobinson9193]

What I wouldn’t do for one minute of silence. Just 60 seconds of pure bliss. It’s hard for me to even imagine what that would be like.

[@Millelykkeandersen]

Its actually super great, but as someone who just by accident discovered that I have no monologue I can tell you my thought process is also very confusing. My thoughts download like loads of raw data in split second had mostly in body sensations. On one side I'm quiet in my head a lot and in tune with my subconscious as it downloads side by side with my rational mind, but unless I verbalise what I am thinking in a journal or conversation a lot of what I am experiencing is just beyond reach for me. So if I don't journal for a while I feel like I am exploding because I just have all of these downloads floating around unprocessed

[@Nicolae_Mew]

Meditation, my friend.

[@monkeyprojects129]

This but add tinnitus

[@rachel4339]

With the right substances, you can achieve a moment of that. I wouldn’t suggest it though, based on personal experience.

[@AlexandreMedeiros1992]

when I stop to think about it, one of the ways that I became fluent in English (my native language is Portuguese) is that I kinda forced myself to do my inner conversation in English, that was when I was 15-ish, now that I'm 30, I can honestly say that I can have an inner talk mixing English and Portuguese without even noticing! it's really interesting to be able to notice how we are always practicing conversations with others in our minds!

[@lineofumanisa]

Oh, I relate to this My internal speech is in English even though my mother tongue is isiXhosa. I think it’s because of reading exclusively English books as a child

[@josecorchete3732]

It worked for me too. I have inner monologues in German or English even though Spanish is my mother language. It really helped me out to gain proficiency in them, and to work around the missing vocabulary.

[@elianmaxzzz]

@@josecorchete3732 Muchas veces cuestiono en mi mente las cosas que hago en inglés, como "why tf you just let her go" o algo por el estilo, es muy curioso.

[@jameswilkes451]

That's essentially what separates someone who is trying to genuinely learn a language from someone who is not really that interested. Someone I used to know told me he learned English by "beginning to think in English". He would constantly second guess his thoughts by trying to re-think them in an English equivalent.

[@Darkfyre755]

Lol that's honestly how I learned Portuguese 😬

[@firecatviii985]

My inner speech isn't like a monologue or dialogue, it's more like a running commentary on everything I'm doing.

[@shoujahatsumetsu]

I hope it's like an enthusiastic sports commentator.

[@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself]

@@shoujahatsumetsu "Harry Carry here!"

[@KeViNZP]

That's interesting. Mine is more like a secondary person who comments on my choice decisions. He sometimes agrees or disagrees, and sometimes we just shrug and do both or neither.

[@Pumpkiinhead]

Mine is more like a list that I'm going over through my day like, as I'm doing my work I'm like "go do thissss and now that done so we've got to do this and this-" or just conversation ig? It's cool we all have diff versions 👁👁

[@Atamosk-bu7zt]

@@Pumpkiinhead i feel this one personally.

[@elainebelzDetroit]

I had a therapist once who would say of negative self-talk, "That's just one opinion." I loved that - and when I remember it, it cracks me up, which also helps.

[@thecozyintrovert]

This might have just changed my life lol.

[@elainebelzDetroit]

@@thecozyintrovert Awesome. :D

[@wordcharm2649]

I would say it's less an opinion and more all the recorded messages we store in our brain from the ether that pop up at regular intervals. We mistake these thoughts for opinions and worse yet OUR OWN views of the world when they are literally just messages we play on loop; and often the negative ones have more of an internal reaction (ie. they make us feel something) so our body mistakes that feeling (even if negative) as a good thing, thus why so many people have negative self-talk because the negative thoughts stimulate something in you and your body goes, "Oh, this must be good" and keeps replaying these stored ideas thinking they are useful.

[@MoreCoffeePlease.]

Thank you sooo much for sharing this. My inner dialogue will now include this perspective (and likely argue over the weight of it). 🤣

[@sneakytacos773]

@@thecozyintrovert look into self compassion. We can change our inner voice. It’s all about reparenting ourselves

[@FistFullOfDan]

By far rhe best conversations i have ever had have been with myself. My inner speech is so strong that my breathing, tounge and lips will sometimes mimic the words that I'm thinking if I'm alone.

[@AgathaVara]

And people around you is going to think you''re nuts(just personal experience not meaning to insult you)

[@moefoeliljoecabrone]

"WE" WERE ALL JUST CONTINKING THE SAME THING

[@sokken_4464]

I think the weirdest thing about my inner monologue is that I sometimes launch into entirely fictional conversations, usually involving a complete stranger making a negative comment about me, a friend or sometimes other strangers. I start thinking about how I would respond to them, and quite often it turns into a full blown argument and I end up getting really angry at this hypothetical person that my brain made up

[@phelan8385]

Same lol

[@spacepatricia6268]

Same

[@barbaradps828]

Same 😭😭😭

[@KURENANI]

same but i dont get angry,i just leave the conversation

[@barbaradps828]

@@KURENANI Please tell me how, I literally get stuck un them…

[@FlatBunny360]

I have inner thoughts 24/7. I hold conversations with myself and practice whole conversations before having them with someone and plan out what I want to say for every outcome I can think of. When planning them I also hear their responses like they’ve actually spoken. I thought everyone was like this… really strange to think about. I also can visualize my thoughts really well and can see the person I’m “speaking to” as if they’re there in my head. But most times it’s like a presence that they’re there. Idk. You’ve given me plenty to think about

[@marcelcuellar9781]

I'm just like this! I'm kinda glad I'm not the "only one" that does this exact same thing. :)

[@JamieDunbar]

Neither of you are alone in this. My inner monologue is the same - I often use it as practice for talking to a person. Or I’ll have different conversations with different imagined people depending on the topic. I can even have conversations with myself this way - treating myself as the ‘other person’ in the conversation. It’s a really good way to separate yourself from an emotional situation and look at it objectively.

[@undeniabletruth3550]

Yes same for me. I also can create copies of people in my mind copying personalities. Tbh it's weird if you don't talk in your mind. Lacks depth. I think inner monologue is good and helpful

[@LOSERLUCAS]

you described how I think perfectly, you’re not alone

[@zharpain]

Do you also need to learn the person first? Like ask various question about random topics or things they like so that you form an more accurate simulacrum? At least I am not totally crazy but everyone at work kinda thinks I am. I could be though but I look at it that everyone is a little crazy and sometimes that's just spice.

[@blub232324]

I often use inner dialog to argue against myself when I'm angry about something. I basically check if I might be wrong or if the other side has a good point as well - and that helps me to cool myself down and see the other persons point when the actual argument happens.

[@RZRREDD]

Mine usually goes along with whatever I’m feeling 🥲

[@sarahmegatronprime6346]

I do that too, I’ve avoided a lot of needless conflict by arguing against myself. I feel if I can’t win an argument against myself then maybe I should rethink my stance, I don’t always “lose” haha in that case I stay mad

[@h.m5386]

I use my inner voice to not be a hypocrite

[@Lifeofward151]

That’s called emotional intelligence :). Many are lacking it :)

[@neldormiveglia1312]

This!!!

[@SecretButterflyGarden]

I didn't realize that people thought with words until I watched that Dexter TV series. At first I thought that it was just a translation of his thoughts into words and not literally that he was talking in his head all the time. I was shocked when I asked my friend if she thought in words and she said yes and looked at me like I was crazy. This was back in 2010 when I was 15 years old. I do OCASSIONALLY think with words when I'm reading or typing something, but otherwise I think in...well, what thoughts are before they are translated into words. Raw thoughts, abstract concepts, "knowing", memories, pictures, feeling, sensations, etc. To me, it's easier and more natural to think in my way, than to have to translate all of my thoughts into language/words. People had thoughts before language was ever created. It was only made so we could communicate our thoughts with eachother. Those of us who don't think in internal monologue aren't limited by thoughts that only exist in language.

[@SecretButterflyGarden]

@@user-sz3cy2sm2w The word for what you describe is aphantasia. I had a friend who couldn't visualize things in her head either. I can see anything I want in my head as if it were right in front of me. Even more detail than reality sometimes. I can see my my early memories from when I was around a year old. I can see my crib and the blanket in it, and the texture of the blanket. Everything. I can see my great grandmothers face who passed away when I was small and the faces of everyone I have ever known. I wish I was a better artist so I could use this visualizing thing.

[@theomnidex9991]

That's exactly how I would describe my thought process as well

[@concretel10n]

4:24 we do have raw thoughts, images etc, it's just we also discuss them with ourselves.

[@SecretButterflyGarden]

@@concretel10n Yes, and I discus them with myself without words lol

[@mystery_mr.y]

I'm actually quite jealous, the most annoying thing in the world is being half-way through a thought and then just stopping in the middle of it because I suddenly realise I've long finished ''thinking'' it and am just reading it to myself in my head. it is *so, so* frustrating

[@jacobwerman1008]

I'm honestly shocked that not everyone has imaginary interactions. They're fun. You always win in the end.

[@rossmathis8138]

Or lose....it's a matter of perspective Edit: I have the inner monologues too. Just saying, you keep you positive

[@matheuskelson]

I'm always impressed by my eloquence, wit and courage in these inner dialogs hahah

[@RatoftheSupremeRodentTakeover]

I don't 😔😔😔😔

[@jacobwerman1008]

Well, the inner monologue is a result of really bad anxiety, so staying positive isn't always easy anyway.

[@DDD3751]

@@RatoftheSupremeRodentTakeover Me neither

[@evillyn7895]

The "inner me" never shuts up. As we share a warped sense of humor, I find me quite entertaining.

[@jr2904]

When I actually "talk" to myself I say we, I've always just thought of myself as two very close people that are different in some major ways.

[@rockthevote398]

I'm shocked to find out not everyone does this. My head never shuts up either. It's rather annoying at times. It makes it difficult to go to sleep. What the hay do people who don't have inner speech in their heads have going on? I mean, how the hay do they think?

[@RaeWakefield]

Rock the Vote exactly my thoughts. (Ironically) isn’t reflection all about thinking? I talk a *lot* to myself. How would I think if I didn’t?

[@rasmusbrekke9412]

Same. I have a constant conversation with my inner self, particularly when I’m nervous or stressed or I’m focusing on something. then it’s a continous conversation about what to do or how to do something. And If I’m bored or walking somewhere, The conversation is usually about something totally unrelated...

[@mercylimpokhuwe]

Neither does mine, which I'm actually grateful for, because if everyone heard what was in my head all the time, I'd get punched more often, Inner me is kind of an ass sometimes.

[@CarlyCorsola]

I took my friend's ADHD medication one time and my inner talking completely stopped. It was so weird and kind of nice to have a break! I even said, "I dont understand how Im forming sentences without thinking about it first." My mind had never been empty like that before. This world is crazy, guys.

[@fariesz6786]

congratulations, you also have _some_ form of ADHD then xD (not necessarily pathological or anything, but if stims make your brain spool down like that it's almost guaranteed you have it) interesting that it switches off verbalisation for you though. hooman brains are fascinating

[@pedroba76]

@@fariesz6786 ADHD medication also worked for me to quiet my mind, but in my case I have autism. When I asked my psichatrist and psychologist If I could have adhd, they told me not.

[@Leukemia.survivor]

I have ADHD. It doesn’t stop my inner speech, but I can control it better. If I have “too much” Ritalin, then my inner speech will stop from time to time. It’s a _really_ weird feeling for me. I don’t really like it. But, it’s nice to be more in control of my inner speech. I used “too much” in quotes because it’s probably not actually too much, just more then I enjoy. Side note… I think this is also part of the reason why taking Ritalin isn’t addictive if you have ADHD - it just helps you concentrate, and more isn’t better.

[@breannamcfarland1080]

​@@pedroba76plot twist, you definitely can have both. I do. I only found out about the autism after getting medicated for ADHD. It had been hiding behind my ADHD anxiety and squirrel brain for years.

[@MacNerfer]

@@fariesz6786 ADHD is a spectrum, it's not binary. Most people have ADHD in some situations but not others. Mind altering drugs will likely have some kind of an effect on everybody, but if it's appropriate is entirely a different matter. Going for a walk in the woods or just being outside has been shown to help. Maybe meditiation techniques or daydreaming is enough for you to focus your mind when it's needed. Don't try to self-medicate without a competent doctor's advice.

[@tomfoolhardy]

I feel like this video was more about having inner speech than not having it.

[@gingerbred2533]

Agreed. This video has nothing to do with people without inner monologue. They should change the title. Disappointed.... I wanted to learn about people without one.

[@tomfoolhardy]

@@gingerbred2533Well, in an attempt to satisfy your curiosity, I don't have an internal monologue. For me, it's all visuals. If someone asks me to think about Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night, I just "see" the painting itself in my head. If someone gives me directions, I "see" the roads and landmarks in my head.

[@gingerbred2533]

@@tomfoolhardy when you read a book, how do you read dialogue silently? How does that work for you? For me, I hear character voices, for instance Harry Potter, each character has their voice from the movie.

[@tomfoolhardy]

@@gingerbred2533As I'm reading it, it plays out in my head. It's like I seen Ready Player One before it was made into a movie. Sometimes, I do read out loud with my real speaking voice, like an "external" monologue.

[@idrawsdinosaurs400]

@@gingerbred2533 As someone else without inner speech (unless I specifically concentrate on doing it), when I read written dialogue I don't hear voices in my head at all! I just kinda read the words on the page and,,, understand what they mean. If I read Character A say "hey how was your day today?" to Character B, my default processing of it is just an awareness that Character A has said that to Character B. It's the same way with messages from friends, I don't read it in their voice (unless they happen to type something that really strongly reminds me of their speech patterns, or something they say very regularly), I just kinda Know that they've said that to me. If I focus on it I can "act out" scenes between characters in my head, and imagine voices along with the dialogue, but that's definitely not my default and requires a deliberate decision and effort to do!

[@meghangildelamadrid5869]

You can definitely train your inner speech. My depression got much better after years of catching myself talking negatively about and to myself in my head. Every time it would happen, I would stop and think, "Would you say that to a good friend you love?" and then I would think about how I would say it to such a friend instead. It takes a while, but the results are worth it ❤️

[@lizzard5093]

Same here. You can even train your inner speech to be positive. "You are not stupid, you just made a mistake", etc

[@lunarbeauty]

I'm experiencing that right now. Exactly

[@PsilySarah]

Oh my God I did the same thing!😊

[@kateroonie8324]

YES whoaahhhhh I've trained mine to stop body shaming myself. Wow.

[@moneymaker7307]

@@kateroonie8324 listen to that mf and get to loosing some weight.

[@mr.ptolemy8947]

That there are people out there that don't hear their thoughts, constantly, is mind boggling. I thought that's just what having a mind is.

[@liquidminds]

Personally, I have very little speech in my head. My brain mostly communicates with visuals that transport concepts and are linked to areas of my brain with additional information that can be introduced to the visual concept when needed. When my brain uses words, it's most often to simulate arguing and formulating answers to questions, to have it available when needed later. But it's always "outer speech", happening inside the head. It's never addressed to different parts of the brain, but always as a unit. When the different parts disagree, it's mainly by showing problems with current plans or by voting on how confident they are with the choice being a good one. the only time where they ever break character is when something went terribly wrong and one of the players in my brain is admitting guilt, because it was its job to see that in advance...

[@mr.ptolemy8947]

@@liquidminds Fascinating

[@vladimirvilliani6732]

my thoughts exactly. I cant not hear my thoughts. if I try to turn off my inner thoughts, I just start thinking about trying to turn off my inner thoughts

[@vakusdrake3224]

I fall into the category of people who doesn't have any mental talking unless I *deliberately* generate it. Using mental talking is quite useful when thinking however, and there's evidence to suggest people are mentally handicapped if they don't learn some kind of language they can "think in" (in that deaf people really need to learn sign language). That being said most of my thoughts are some combination of abstract concepts and images and the experience of a constant internal monologue sounds strange and exhausting to me.

[@mr.ptolemy8947]

@@vakusdrake3224 it *IS* exhausting. It's like having an idiot constantly jabbering in your ear, and having a narrator that won't shut the hell up. Perhaps I need to retrain my mind. More concept, less words, like Alan Watts and Zhuangzi suggest.

[@citruswolf]

You know when someone reminds you to breathe and then you breathe manually. Well now ive been reminded to think and im thinking manually

[@lmao2302]

Same. I was brain dead most of the day inner speech wise and then this video came out.

[@thereyougoagain1280]

You know you’ve just reminded every single person who gets to this comment to breathe, right?

[@determineddaaf3]

Oh no don't remind me that manually breathing is a thing oohhh ohh aw man aahhh. Dude brains are so weird.

[@weaksause6878]

I find this amazing. Do you guys actually go times without inner dialog? Mine never shuts tf up! Edit: Ever.

[@ToneyCrimson]

@@lmao2302 Thats creepy..wtf

[@critically.panned]

As someone with full aphantasia, this subject is endlessly fascinating to me

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

I haven't seen enough talk about the difference between being unable to have the images created and the ability to access the images that are being generated. I seem to be able to generate the images as I do things like draw that are far more sophisticated than what I'd expect if my brain wasn't creating images, but I can't see any of them. It's a rare day where I see any images, even accidentally. But, the spacial dimension in the things that I draw implies that there is some sort of imagery being created at some point in the process.

[@Kayscastle]

I think I have the opposite! Hyperphantasia

[@critically.panned]

@lif6737 nope, can’t hear anything either.

[@okuttari]

@@critically.panneda fellow aphantasia girl, we should create a nation for ourselves

[@critically.panned]

@@okuttari our flag is just a 404 error

[@doing_aok]

i think the weirdest thing is how we read. like my brain narrates the words. i hear them as if i was saying them out load. but i’ve heard other people don’t do that

[@lisadooley3872]

My brain does that too

[@emaceratus]

Idem

[@andrewwiemken6443]

If you pressed me to put a voice to what I read, yeah I guess it's my voice, but it's halfway between that and a thought, kind of a neutral idea of a sound. This is with plain text or narration of course. Obviously, Gandalf sounds like Gandalf and my friends' text messages sound like them.

[@erwieherb3687]

I'm not hearing the words. Just seeing the film! Also don't have inner speech.

[@Maryaminx]

I narrate what I'm reading to myself but my friend doesn't. Her reading speed is significantly faster than mine (and I'm a very fast reader).

[@calbalding8697]

Very comforting to know I’m not the only person having full blown sentences of self-analyzation in my head

[@adhritgulati6794]

Oh yes, i analyse my action, then a voice comes up and questions the what who why of me analysing that and if I should or should not be analysing it or letting it go, then another thought analysing wether that was worth it or not, and then after that goes on for a while there's a thought thinking about how I'm over analysing everything, and the how that is meaningless for my life, it continues forever until i am interrupted

[@bubblemufiin]

@@adhritgulati6794yes omg

[@JohnDoeWasntTaken]

Also super interesting to know that it's correlated with better being able to put yourself in someone else's shoes. I'm empathetic to a fault and now I know it may be because my inner speech is so prominent in my day-to-day. I'm constantly using it to analyze, reflect, and comment on things. I think it makes me more adept at simulating what someone else's thought patterns may be.

[@ImNotQualifiedToSayThisBut]

​@@JohnDoeWasntTakenEmpathetic != Having high levels of cognitive or emotional empathy.

[@skellq4385]

Same. Every day i talk to myself and voices in my head are talking to each other LOL

[@ThatsWhatSheSaid-420]

I have imagined interactions more often than actual interactions.

[@ethan.000]

Same, and i feel like i should be able to draw the different imaginary "people" the interactions are with but i don't quite think i could. Lol.

[@plederfagella9774]

Lol same....

[@ThatsWhatSheSaid-420]

@Jeremy Shaffer No, but it does give me runny poops.

[@plederfagella9774]

@Jeremy Shaffer it would be the other way around. You are anxious about the potential interactions so you think about them

[@plederfagella9774]

@Jeremy Shaffer Getting blow could be a mix of intense excitement for the blow and the intense anxiousness of the deal if we was already on blow he could've been hella paranoid about it aswell. Blow and other stimulants get you really anxious that's why people love to mix with alcohol as alcohol reduces that but it also happens to be really dangerous as the blow can make you not able to notice how drunk you are and may get alcohol poisoning

[@its3amagain.]

Fun fact: I can determine exactly when my inner speech started. I was 3 and we had a black cat which simply hated human interaction. Of course me as a 3 year old didn't care about it, wanted to play with her and was a bit too hard on her and in the end she scratched me. I was crying and running to my granny and she told me : "You know she doesn't want to be touched and if you wouldn't have been too hard on her she wouldn't have scratched you! You need to think about what she is thinking in these moments and why she did what she did!" That was not only the start of my inner monologue but also the start of me being empathetic. From then on I always tried to think before I open my mouth or do stuff and what I would do if I was the other person in that moment. Arguing with myself if it is a good idea to do this or that.

[@banquetoftheleviathan1404]

Yeah it's kinda part of being considerate because you have to run simulations of how you think people will feel before you act. The one guy I know that admitted to having no inner monologe is also the least considerate. Like he drives drunk and stuff.

[@tylerdarlington4269]

it's funny to me when im having a conversation with myself in my head and i skip forward a few words or lines because I've gotten to the meaning of the thought and know what's coming next anyway and don't actually need all the words for it

[@lisabriggs9064]

But then I would want to go back because I have to finish what I started. Then I would spend like, an hour debating about going back or not.

[@orchdork775]

@@lisabriggs9064 meee 😂

[@nunn2do]

yeah same like i’ll be explaining something or working something out in my head and i’ll get to the point where i’m like “i know what i mean idk why i’m explaining it” 🤣

[@trezapoioiuy]

or when I rewind it to change something, and i skip a part because "yeah yeah i got this part"

[@sergiosanchezpadilla6941]

I was looking for this. There are actually 3 levels of speech that some of us can navigate through, jumping back and forth: full thoughts almost bared of any speech as the video says, an intermediate level in which we can hear the sounds like from afar and full blown speech in which we even articulate the slightest details in our heads such as whether we pronounce the differences between /z/ an /s/. I would even add a 4th level, which is moving the tongue inside with our mouths closed, which personally hardly ever do I do.

[@GaamingPros]

I talk to myself in head like 24/7, either about how I could make something better in my game, or I rant about what's bothering me. I mostly do all the examples in the video and I'm always aware when I'm talking to myself because my brain is just so active.

[@rubber924]

I feel that. I thought thinking was just your inner voice and that everyone thought most of their thoughts as an inner speech. Unless I'm misunderstanding how this all works.

[@everyday-pierce4040]

this right here! this is how one of my inner monologues went “wow i spend a lot of time here with my thoughts,i just fill up the noise huh im even literally thinking about thinking a lot rn… wow that’s so meta even acknowledging that it’s meta is meta. damn. metaception”

[@GaamingPros]

@@everyday-pierce4040 The story of my life

[@His_scars]

I do too. Although I'm worried I might actually be unwell.

[@thejoker-go3fh]

Damn same thing happens to me too

[@ashketchup247]

I used to be very anxious as a child and I would have a constant inner monologue preparing everything I would say to people and even thinking of how they might respond to it and keep the conversation going. This made me more ok with actually having to talk to people.

[@At0micMeltd0wn]

i still do that, usually when i think im about to be criticized

[@dumbledoor9293]

I'm not anxious, but I have done that my whole life too, but not only conversations, also just going through countless of scenarios over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over

[@acousticpsychosis]

I do this all the time, cant say if it helped talking to other people though.

[@kingeternal_ap]

Holy cow, this hits home.

[@zoicon5]

I do this all the time. I often can't remember whether or not I've talked to so-and-so about such-and-such because I can remember having that conversation but I'm not sure if it was the real conversation I'm remembering or just the innternal monologue.

[@fire_aspect_5142]

my inner speech is less so like reacting to things, it's just how i process the world period. it holds most of the thoughts i have, and without it i simply have an impression of what im thinking. it's there 100% of the time, and for all intents and purposes i consider it to essentially be me. like i dont always want to think what i think, but to me "thinking" is synonymous with my internal monologue.

[@enterchannelname8981]

This is a really fascinating comment to me. I've never seen my internal monologue as synonymous with myself, but I get how you would, and I think this is one of the better explanations I've seen of how an internal monologue works for someone who thinks solely using it.

[@Jordan-c3r]

Same if there's something I don't wanna think about I just monologue something else so my experience is that my thoughts are literally everything I say to myself so much so that if I'm not monologuing I'm not thinking

[@nerdexproject]

Inside my brain: super talkative In RL: the silent one

[@theonewind]

In in real life

[@maxmoreno9545]

This should be a top comment! This comment speaks to my soul haha

[@justsomeguywithahood1954]

Ella Jameson thats kind what he said

[@jbr84tx]

That's a hard way to live. I know from experience. It's a great relief to be able to speak your truth.

[@AyubuKK]

The weirdest part about it is that you never get tired of talking internally.

[@RL-fr4hf]

I've had therapy sessions with my inner monologue, going over childhood incidents, trying to understand why it happened and how it has affected me. All of this whilst I was working. Honestly it was pretty helpful for me to understand myself better.

[@MinurielLai]

Yes, absolutely! I've been doing the same thing for a while now and it can be super healing. Understanding the different parts of myself and letting them have "conferences" where they talk things out and resolve inner conflict (e.g. my feelings want to do A but my logic wants to do B and they have to find a compromise) really helped me to feel more at peace in my brain. I also have a designated part of my inner speech that's basically been my private everyday therapist for the last few years.

[@Bandrik]

I've done that before as well, and continue to do that. It helps to balance out the unfortunate but frequent negative thoughts I have.

[@rainbowcraft2694]

Understanding oneself takes deep self reflection. Internal monologues do that well

[@Zaire82]

I've done that. I'm pretty good at it too, because I remember everything that's ever bothered me enough. I've even traced the weirdest thing about me back to a single joke I heard a friend make when I was little. That joke ruined me, nobody could ever expect what would happen due to it. It snowballed so hard. It's strange to think that one of the things that have shaped my life the most started as 1 stupid joke made by a little kid.

[@RL-fr4hf]

@@krzzzm9486 what do you mean?

[@sierratree93]

I'm so shocked that people don't think every word they read. I can't even imagine processing words without saying them in my head.

[@casp6132]

Right???

[@avikasixfour2362]

I tried to read without saying words in my head In end I understood exactly 0% of what I've read and I had to read everything again and it seemed like I have never seen it before

[@NatoBoram]

That's because you don't recognize words letter by letter, but instead by the general shape the word forms. Same goes for sentences. Some words you're going to just give them meanings without spelling it out then move on to the next word to refine the meaning of the sentence, or even the whole paragraph.

[@ashes_menagerie]

Same..

[@MrPhillip876]

I said your whole comment in my head 😭

[@OfficialYondoth]

The way your inner speech works can indeed change! Mine has changed from being mostly concrete words to emotions and impressions of emotions and concepts. There’s still words being used in my inner speech, but it is being supplemented by emotions, impressions, and concepts.

[@k8greenisageek]

I'm aphantasic: I can't visualize at all when thinking. My entire thinking is through inner speech. If there are scientists out there who want to study that, I'm here for it!

[@Sam-yb1kz]

Same!

[@zickyvici]

Same here! But I'm not only aphantasic, I don't experience inner speech either. I think in concepts only...no thoughts, head empty forever

[@thereyougoagain1280]

my 한국어 not bad wow, so how do you remember things you’ve seen or heard? Can you play memories in your head at all?

[@saradara5969]

@@zickyvici what do you mean in concepts? i think i might experience something similar

[@zickyvici]

@@thereyougoagain1280 It's really hard to explain because I usually don't think about this stuff haha. I've never been good at remembering things and I'm guessing that might be the reason. For example I can't really recall people's faces. Of course if I see them often enough I will remember certain features of them and I can more or less imagine what they look like without seeing their faces in my head. If I don't see them for a month or so my memory gets blurry. As for things I've heard: I usually write down important things because I keep forgetting stuff people told me to do or I list down everything I need to do a few times every now and then. I don't know if that helped you haha. I never really paid attention on how I remember things because remembering often isn't something you do consciously.

[@BossKnight]

I have full-on arguments just with me and I actually learn, one being a devil's advocate and one being my current standpoint or sometimes constructive criticism about something I made, and then calling myself a degenerate loser, and then beans

[@popcornrocks5208]

I've full on explained my thoughts to myself out loud. I'm straight up just explaining a concept to myself out loud, such as some complex scientific concepts.

[@damongaming275]

@@popcornrocks5208 you do that as well?

[@interpol31290]

Yep, I'm still thinking about thos beans too

[@sidew8ys]

@@popcornrocks5208 i do this too. And another part of myself goes “I don’t need to explain this, I already understand it” but it continues

[@HughvanZyl]

@@damongaming275 both of you do that too?

[@Lacksi12]

5:02 is the single greatest image this channel has ever produced

[@krazybadger78]

Agreed. Obviously required a bit of extra work to photoshop that date photo. Unnecessary perhaps but probably worth it!

[@dumbledoor9293]

Agreed. 🤣

[@Porkey_Minch]

It's good, but it pales in comparison to the grand creation that is Muscle Hank.

[@claytonhalbert1299]

I don't know, the beans thing was pretty great

[@ChadEichhorn]

@@Porkey_Minch oh god whatever happened to the muscle hank account

[@ERICAEPPSREALTOR]

I'm actually responding to you as you talk in my head. I can't even imagine how i would function without inner speech.

[@LordKalte]

You would be thinking in images ans concepts. It's so much faster. If you do thing automatically when you drive without thinking (like stopping at a red light and going again when it's green), well it's basically like that all the time and for everything, except we are fully aware about it.

[@rosariocastro6386]

My inner speech consists of speeches, therapy sessions with myself and a LOT of stories I make up when I'm bored 🤷‍♀️

[@Supremax67]

People forgets the most obvious reason, we don't always get a chance to have an intelligent conversation.

[@clairee4939]

What was your best story?

[@Clifford_Banes]

@@clairee4939 Dude my entire life I've been "writing stories" before going to sleep. I ran out of superpowers. But I do have trouble when adding aliens in my story, it gets extremely difficult to "write" it. If I wouldn't be so lazy, I would probably have had at least 500 stories by now. The thing I like best is using whatever dream fragments I got left to come up with some crazy stuff.

[@clairee4939]

@@Clifford_Banes and it’s in words ？

[@Clifford_Banes]

@@clairee4939 I have full speeches and rewinding the story if at some point things don't fit, choose a different action or response to get to where my story is or simply change the whole story. In my last one I got bored of slowly changing the world, so my main character gets killed by his one and only partner-in-crime and lover, who steals his powers and forces the people of the world to change their ways. She's using both words, and actions. Meeting the leaders of the world, everyone has something to say, everyone has a different point of view (which is limited by my own knowledge of geopolitics, civilisations, religions) and they express it. It's like a book. Also, I talk to myself a lot. "I'm so stupid, why did I say that? I never learn to keep my mouth shut". But it doesn't have to be a bad thing. It can be "I really nailed that one, didn't I? Well done me." Sometimes I talk to myself as "you damn fool" if I'm really mad at myself, I'm distancing myself from...myself. I talk to myself so much that it's tiring. Every word I think about triggers a connection and every connections triggers more. I talk a lot because it forces me to be less divergent and stick to a story. Meditation works to calm my thoughts down, it's like a thoughts tornado in my head, and meditation is like going into the eye of the tornado. Medication would probably work better.

[@thirteenthhour370]

When I was 14 and depressed, my inner speech delved into psychosis. Having a "not in my ears" voice follow you around abusing you 24 hours a day is basically inescapable. I knew I wasn't having auditory hallucinations, but she was in my head and I couldn't stop her. She laughed at me when she hurt me. After a literal decade of therapy I can now talk to a kind, validating inner voice when I'm upset. It's crazy how something so traumatizing could become something so precious.

[@thirteenthhour370]

@Ella ngl it was pretty awful. But life goes on. Ty :)

[@ianjanson5119]

One part basically says I'm useless 24/7. Gets darker from there.

[@livvielov]

I'm so sorry this happened to you it's so hard to be yourself when you experience negative self talk. I think with anything human there's just huge potential for things to go one way or the other and I'm happy for you that you've found this :) I struggle with anxiety but it's getting better almost everyday, when I catch my self abuse in my head I give the voice an imaginary slap on the wrist and say "hey, don't talk about my friend like that!" it seems to help

[@thirteenthhour370]

@@livvielov I'm so glad things are getting better :) treating yourself like a friend is so important!!! I also try to treat my anxiety like it is a puppy. Its just a fight/flight brain process that is doing its best and doesn't know any better unless I show it a different way. Like "thanks for trying to protect me from judgment, anxiety. I know you are doing your best! Let's go post a deeply personal KZbin comment because I have something I want to say." And at first anxiety is like 'but but BUT NOOOO its scary" and I get to be like "naw its all good sweetie we can handle a little judgment if it happens."

[@ema9770]

@@thirteenthhour370 wow love that!

[@theslenderfox]

My inner speech is overactive and Im constantly having hypothetical conversations or thinking about what Im doing

[@Sam-dc1oz]

Bruuhhh, when I tell people this they like tf??

[@joeh4955]

I get like that when I’m nervous. I’ll replay a situation that hasn’t happened finding everything that could go wrong.

[@anyawillowfan]

Yeah, this is often how I experience it, especially when I'm anxious as I use my inner speech to talk myself through the situation and calm down (however this doesn't always work and sometimes it gets taken over by the negative stuff).

[@traillesstravelled7901]

Thank God, I thought "allot" I was alone. Constantly going, like driving a perpetual motion machine. Going down the right path, awesome figure hard stuff. Going down the wrong path, get in a jamb. It can be trained, just not sure how to master. Just me myself and I 🤣🤣

[@komrot5305]

There's is some sort of inner speech going on in my brain pretty much 100% of the time, the only time there isn't inner speech is when I'm solving math in my head. Makes it very hard to sleep at night since my brain literally never stops jabbering about one thing or another

[@bella-zq9zh]

As a kid i didnt have an inner monolgue and as i got older into my teens i started to have one and it really weirded me out for a bit because i wasnt used to it. I now have a mix of speech, pictures, and feelings. Although i have to picture myself talking to someone in order to have a dialogue and not just random commentary.

[@Arunscape]

me: overly aware of the internal monologue that is currently going on as I watch this video

[@RobotShield]

It did not stop at any point

[@markwallace1727]

I had to rewind a few times, since I kept missing parts due to that voice in my head talking over the top of Hank. And once because he had me remembering camping trips. I miss camping.

[@RichGuano]

The final countdown

[@DiegoGonzalez-sr9kl]

Glad I wasn't the only one that was listening to this over my inner voice just chatting away

[@hopeforlilli]

its stressin me out!!

[@detroitbecomedefective2762]

I personally love changing this voice in my head to morgan freeman then making him say the most absurd stuff lmao

[@physics_hacker]

LMAO I might have to try that

[@The_Official_T3]

bruh, i did that minutes before reading this 😳😂

[@V01DIORE]

When I read stories I pick such voices to narrate, it’s quite fun.

[@gordonfreeman5614]

Yes or David Attenborough

[@Apollo-ek9ud]

HELP I DO THAT TOO

[@jillianvanrhyn6860]

Until this year I didn't know most people weren't talking to themselves inside ALL the time. I never shut up, I can change accents, have full interviews all that fun stuff lol. I felt called out when he brought up anxiety and depression haha. Getting diagnosed ADHD has helped me understand my differences from my siblings and peers, thankful for that!

[@jayanderson147]

big mood lol

[@devinm.7265]

I'm the same way. I probably have some form of undiagnosed ADHD/ADD, talk to my self in a similar fashion constantly haha. I find that It's just like having a friend on call 24/7.

[@danielled8665]

I’m Adhd too and my inner conversations are very verbal and literally continuous. If I get tired, stressed, or am working through a problem the inner train of word-thoughts comes out of my mouth in varying volume and emphatic gestures, like I’m trying to put all the random thoughts in order and nail them in place before they get away. But yeah I think “constant inner voice” is a big part of the Adhd experience. Whenever I do start talking out loud, people think I over share or they can’t get a word in edgewise because I’m just basically putting the speaker plug into the program that was already running on my headphones. 😂

[@Larrysbride]

Change accents and languages too. I speak fluently Czech, Slovak, English, and know basic Italian so I have inner monologues in all those languages....

[@tonyppe]

I've consciously realised previously that I've been going about my day whilst not talking to myself and it's actually pretty nice. Just doing, being concious but without words

[@priscillawrites6685]

I’m an opera singer. When I practice/perform in a foreign language, the English translation runs simultaneously in my mind. Additionally, I hear the next phrase in both languages while I’m singing. Add to that stage cues, acting, emotional interpretation, anticipating entrances/exit - my mind is very busy when I’m singing.

[@dgray7537]

So my brain isn't haunted? That's good to know.

[@TooSickToDressVictorian]

Well, are you able to control your inner speech?

[@dgray7537]

@@TooSickToDressVictorian Yes I can. No he can't*

[@shibeman8388]

Yep Yea Got demons in the head Time to get a piece of flint And for you a Hole in the head

[@bunille]

It's called your conscious... totally normal and healthy to have

[@wolfcat1998]

@@bunille so you're saying my conscience is the one telling me to burn the house down? That's a relief.

[@jr_xtreme8940]

As an introvert, I use this in various forms everyday. Sometime it's visualizing a drawing; processing a route to a place; picturing how I'd look in outfits to see if they match; role-playing a conversation b4 an argument or fantazing bout speeches. Tbh I thought everyone processed things this way and could picture a simulated scenario in their minds depending on the context

[@Al_Ellisande]

Any imaginary confrontations put you in a bad mood? :) I thought that too but got, when I mentioned it, my friends looked at me like I'd two heads. Guess not then. Imagine not having an inner monologue...what a lonely existence and, incidentally, Scrubs must like Lord of the Rings.

[@axellor9836]

@@Al_Ellisande I don't have an inner monologue, it's not a lonely existence, it's not like you can't think or anything. Also idk what it's like to actually have an inner monologue so it doesn't feel like I'm missing out on anything.

[@shriyanshpandey112]

@@axellor9836 So you never think like " should I pick this or that "

[@jr_xtreme8940]

@@Al_Ellisande I'm generally a calm person and picturing situation of confrontation helps me maintain that. Like imagining sending a deserved email to a nasty client, but going beyond that impulse to the outcome of my manager being involved. Then i realize that a fleeting moment of anger could result in me loosing my job...but imagining it out was still therapeutic to some extent

[@l.l.lindsey5980]

I'm the same, I use this to write my book as well.

[@susanruan3663]

Growing up, I had no idea inner speech was something real. I thought it was just a saying to refer to thoughts, but thoughts weren't actually words, or it was something done by Hollywood to portray a character's thoughts. Honestly, I've always thought in pictures, colors, sensations, but I've never had any problems speaking

[@skhotzim_bacon]

I'm the same way. I don't know how these people relax or sleep at night while literally talking to themselves all the time. I just have to conclude that they're all crazy, and we're the normal ones. I don't see any benefit to having an inner monologue, and I definitely don't want to experience it anytime soon.

[@Beyt_El]

@@skhotzim_baconNot crazy. In fact I too see pictures and experience sensations.

[@skhotzim_bacon]

@@Beyt_El Yes, that's normal. I was referring to talking to yourself as being crazy.

[@Beyt_El]

@@skhotzim_bacon I also have an internal monologue though. I don’t know how I would operate without it either. It helps me process and workout issues in my mind. Lol

[@skhotzim_bacon]

@@Beyt_El I can't imagine how. Do you argue with yourself or go through a mental checklist of sorts?

[@morganhobson8941]

Something I've always known I have is that my inner speech is typically structured around explaining my thoughts to someone in my life, whether or not those thoughts actually have anything to do with them. It looks like other people have similar experiences ( 4:35 )!

[@sandicarroll6501]

I can't imagine someone not having an internal monologue all the time. I replay conversations, current and 30 years ago. I also play out scenario's that will most likely never happen, but I have a plan if it does. I also view books in my head as movies. I'm an introvert. This was very interesting, I'm sure I will discuss it with myself later.

[@fariesz6786]

replaying conversations over and over as well as ruminating over situations is a thing (usually not particularity healthy unfortunately) but it's completely independent from whether you "talk" in your head or not. same goes for analysing situations. vividness of thought and the amount to which they expressed as words are two seperate parameters. you can be extreme in either or both at the same time.

[@qnason2185]

every word you spoke was me to a T, thank you for sharing, it makes me feel better about myself, truely

[@MacNerfer]

Same here, except for the books thing. I replay conversations in my head, and then when I see the person much later, I remember that conversation and can pick it up again right where we left off. I also use inner speech to practice a story or a debate, so I know what points I want to hit when telling that story later, maybe even certain phrases I should include. As an introvert, I sometimes have difficulties getting others to listen to what I'm saying, so I don't want to be stumbling over things when the opportunity arises. Or maybe I realize maybe no one will ever hear this story, so I have to tell it to myself, so somebody "hears" it, lol. But mostly I just daydream, like a movie with dialogue. And it's often about dramatic ways I can avoid danger or save someone's life. I remember reading the Walter Mitty story in high school, and thinking "So what? Why did somebody bother to write this and why is this book respected?" I thought everybody did this in their head, as a regular thing. But I guess maybe they don't.

[@Isaac_L..]

I used to do the book thing and then I lost that ability. I really miss it and hope that I can retrain myself to have that ability as reading and writing was so much more fun. I honestly can't remember the last time I spent an entire day reading a good book and that used to be one of my favorite experiences.

[@ivylangdon93]

You know I never really thought inner monologues existed out of books, I can hear a voice in my head occassionaly but normally I just have songs playing around my head

[@ciarengeorgia908]

I have "imagined interactions" ALL THE TIME when I'm alone, sometimes out loud without even registering (mildly embarrassing when someone walks in on you talking to yourself). Sometimes I also think things through as if I'm explaining it to someone else, other times its more of a conversation with myself. I can't even imagine thinking without words!

[@pheart2381]

I do,but when I try to integrate this into my novel(as yet stuck on chapter 5)I find it almost impossible. I can inner interact,play it out in my head for hours,but not translate that experience to the written page.

[@salvagamesy4001]

Relatable

[@SabbyCat52]

This is legit my entire waking life! I'm even having a separate internal conversation while typing this!!

[@johnsherfey3675]

Dude, okay in the shower often times I imagine explaining my day to someone, or a current problem Im having. And often draw out a diagram, or picture (in my head) to show like whats happening etc. Almost to get some weird self resolve.

[@Nirrrina]

I just tell them in talking to my cats.

[@FAB1150]

Wait, some people _don't_ engage in imaginary arguments with others? W H A T

[@adhesivemailbox1993]

I only inhale in imaginary arguments with imaginary people.

[@CarstenGermer]

Some people hella zen ;)

[@bassmunk]

Hahaha!

[@Amghannam]

I don't. I got really surprised by this video that some people talk to themselves, like wtf!!

[@trezapoioiuy]

I was also surprised. I mean, I expected that from any non-verbal person, but anyone else? For me even the language changes based on whom I'm discussing with, which usually depends on the topic. And it really annoyed me when I started actually talking english irl to people everyday after moving and I didn't sound as good as my English inner voice modeled after hearing people speak English in movies and videos. It was really upsetting.

[@DomonkosMagyar]

I have a really vivid inner speech. I also have the neat ability to hear a text of someone I know more, as if that person is speaking. This is not only fun, but also helps me understand their views and toughts of that person.

[@MinaliaGames]

my inner speech is always on and is no different from my normal speech. I've also noticed sometimes my vocal cords will contract as if i were actually speaking.

[@DrPonner]

Same, especially the vocal cord part.

[@Daywalkr]

Same here!

[@kyles5960]

Same when I talk in my mind my mouth moves

[@theobnoxiousgamer9624]

Same, it’s constant for me and my vocal cords just move ever so slightly.

[@christophermorin9036]

SAME. I was getting that just watching this video, my inner voice going "uh-huh....uh-huh....exactly."

[@seanhickling7340]

I have neither internal monologue nor visualisation. It's only in the last 5/10 years that I've found out that people actually do hear their internal monologue and can see pictures in their heads. Learning that has absolutely blown me away.

[@frankielove31]

Do you have to wear a helmet when you’re catching the bus?

[@anuragkashyap8026]

how do you think ? what goes on in your head 24*7

[@MinorityRespecter88]

You're a literal NPC

[@robertb.7772]

@@frankielove31 And you're being a prick because...?

[@hiddenguy67]

​@@MinorityRespecter88it's so weird like how are people npcs

[@DMichaelAtLarge]

If my inner voices are replaying actual conversations from when I was a child, I must have had some damn sophisticated conversations with my mother at four years old.

[@The_Man_Who_Sold_the_World.]

lmao

[@detran09]

This to me is obviously 100% false. I am dumbfounded that anyone would actually believe this theory, I've been speaking to myself in my head from infancy.

[@jake6681]

@@detran09 How can you remember back that far

[@Foible]

@@jake6681 I also have active inner dialogue since 4-5 years old, I think that the difference is that at such age you don't think about the negative things as much so people commonly don't remember it because our inner speech develops with our views of ourselves and changes drastically from childhood to adolescence, it shifts constantly as we mature I guess

[@chrissipumpkin]

I think it's more about HOW we talk to ourselves in our heads. Like, if you talk to yourself with soft, positive tones, or harsh, negative ones, for example. If someone who you looked up to saw you struggling with a problem, and they encouraged you to slow down, think about every part of the issue, praised you for trying, versus if they scolded you, talked down to you, and told you to hurry up, then your inner monologue might reflect that as you age.

[@Kit42069]

mindfulness exercises can make a huge difference in catching and stopping negative self talk. ive been practicing mindfulness for years and its completely changed my perspective and helped to become more positive overall especially with my inner monologue

[@SciShow]

Wow! What an awesome comments section! Thank you all for sharing how you think. It's inspiring. We were excited to make this video because once we started talking (out loud) about inner speech as a team, we realized that we all think REALLY differently. It's helped us communicate better and feel closer. It's awesome to read how each of you thinks and means a lot that you're sharing about it here. Thank you! ~Caitlin, SciShow Producer

[@zakirreshi6737]

That's what i thought,it gives us a type research report and we also feel good to see other comments.thanks for the video

[@CarthagoMike]

Just a little question, but is there a connection between interactive inner speech / dialogues (rather than monologues) and lucid dreaming? I've heard quite a few people talk about a potential connection, but when searching for it myself I never found any research to back it up.

[@thisiscait]

You guys should pin this! 📌

[@sydneykendall7125]

This is fascinating, hearing about these internal differences. I talk to myself all the time, both just in my head or, if I'm alone, out loud. I talk to myself about what I'm doing, I engage in dialogues with imaginary characters and imagined versions of real people I know, I argue with politicians and pundits, and I think issues through in words. I amuse myself by imagining myself in different situations, sometimes spun off from a movie or TV series. I'm never bored! I'm a full sentence girl, don't like verbal shorthand. I want to be as clear and accurate in my thinking as I can manage. I also do a lot of picturing. Hank mentioned something about some people not being tuned in to their inner mental activity, but being aware of what's going on in my noggin has been a primary interest of mine from as far back as I can remember, and that's pretty far. I can remember as a little child deciding that I must put my thoughts into words in order to make them clear and to keep them. I also deliberately practiced picturing when I started noticing how what I later called my " inside mind" would flash sound and picture memories, when something outside my mind would trigger them. I knew that the pictures and sounds got into my head from hearing and seeing them in the outside world. I wanted to get control over them, so I worked at making my inner images do what I wanted. It wasn't easy at first, It took practice over time. I think we tend to take for granted the way our own mind works, and assume that's how minds in general work. But I've wondered nearly all my life at what mental differences there might be. I was astonished when I first heard that some people don't have an inner monologue, and also that some people can't picture. Maybe we ought to ask each other more questions about internal experiences... but on the other hand, to some people that may seem too intrusive?

[@palarious]

I was 30 years old before I found out inner monologues were even a thing. I thought that was just something writers did help contextualize what is for me a purely cognitive experience. There are no words, just pure thought. I CAN create a monologue, if I want to, but it's not what I do naturally and it's certainly not how I 'Think,' as it is for so many. It's crazy to me that people walk around with voices in their heads they can't control. I had to ask all my students as a lesson on statistics (1/10 is about right) and we had some great stories and moments. I'm really fascinated by both this and personality shift with polyglots. I think language is a second layer on top of what our first encoding language was, which was feelings combined with basic sensations. This might explain how savants tend to associate sensory information with complex subjects like mathematics, allowing them to make larger and larger leaps in logic.

[@AhmadAli-sj5us]

"Talking to oneself is the best way to ensure an interesting and intelligent conversation." Oscar Wilde.

[@robin_birdie_]

as long as you are Oscar Wilde ;)

[@jp4431]

Not true. I'm a boring idiot.

[@briantrapp4793]

I'm sure he did alot of that in jail

[@Richard-tj1yh]

Best way to self delusion.

[@archiedonza6347]

Love it. Oscar knew how to say it out straight like an arrow and a fellow dubliner

[@adanactnomew7085]

Anyone else just playing music in their heads all the time when there isnt anything to really think about

[@IceMetalPunk]

I remember seeing a poll once asking how often people get songs stuck in their heads, and I was like, "Wait... you mean not everyone has a song stuck in their head nearly 24/7?!"

[@Handicrafti]

The other day I was listening to a song in my head and someone started talking to me. I had an embarrassing moment when I went to turn my music off on my phone before remembering it was just in my head

[@woosh_police4018]

@@Handicrafti that's so weird something kinda similar happens to me all the time. When I say or read or think about a word and say it in my inner speech when I go to type my password I type that word subconsciously. Why is that? It happens to me all the time.

[@adanactnomew7085]

@@woosh_police4018 Same.

[@flamencoprof]

Not ALL the time, but I do have a playlist on my channel here entitled "Woke up in my head". 183 items so far.

[@AnitaWati-mj4ch]

I always assumed most people experienced an inner voice, but it seems only some people do. For me, this internal dialogue is incredibly valuable. It allows me to vividly imagine scenes from novels, complete with unique voices and appearances for each character. I can even "sing" along mentally, hitting notes I couldn't physically reach, pushing the boundaries of my vocal abilities. This inner voice is invaluable for rehearsing speeches or recalling information. Solitude never feels lonely because I can engage in internal conversations, creating a sense of companionship within my own mind. I struggle to comprehend life without this internal voice and can't imagine what it's like for those who don't possess it

[@prentum6551]

I remember being a toddler about 4 years old, staring into the bathroom mirror, completely trying to form words as an internal voice for the first time. I told my mom I was "Trying to think" and she thought I was being crazy. that was the first time I was able to hear any inner speech and it's one of my earliest clear memories

[@MrTurbo_]

I don't have the ability to silence my inner speech, it's just always there 100% of the time, but my first memory was from when i was 2 months old and quit obviously unable to talk and yet i do remember what i was thinking even though it was not in words but i don't know how to describe it

[@Cherub-vl9bc]

I remember My parents fighting and colors and forms came out of their mouths but everything else was black and white

[@fongdimbulator]

I've heard that the reason we don't really have memories earlier than around 3-4 years is directly related to our ability to process language.

[@Htiy]

@@fongdimbulator it’s true!

[@garyschott9752]

That's intriguing as hell. Thanks for sharing that memory

[@Furin_]

My inner speech never stops. It's literally 24/7 Also, mine mostly of the time speaks english while my mother language is spanish.

[@Bananananaser]

Same dude, I tried meditating once where the guide told me that I should try have a empty mind and have that inner voice quiet, but I can only do like 5 seconds max.

[@saggin4853]

@@Bananananaser I kinda like it helps me pass the time at work I can think and be entertained with anything I think of with my inner voice. But in school it’s a curse.

[@gennymanun4881]

You know it’s crazy you mention that because my native language is Spanish but as I was learning English my inner voice at some point in time switched to English and I never noticed it until my adult years but it’s like stuck permanently in English now idk why it’s weird and my Spanish has suffered a lot since I’m still fluent and all but I stutter and have a harder time thinking in Spanish now. Still it’s all very interesting

[@Zaire82]

@@Bananananaser That's dependant for me, sometimes I can do it for only that long too, and sometimes I can just completely shut them off. It likely depends on how tired I am.

[@jpool115]

Mi problema es que yo leo tantas cosas en Inglés que cuando empiezo a pensar mi mente se queda atorada en el modo Inglés xd

[@QuestionEverythingButWHY]

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” ― Marie Curie

[@mtbass3413]

That understanding has cost a lot of amazing people their lives through scientific exploration. Heros . Cheers to them

[@fixafix69]

Maybe she should have been a little afraid of radiations lmao

[@spacklurns159]

I have a speech impediment and I hate my voice because it sounds nothing like the voice in my head. It does not feel like "me." My voice is extremely soft and breathy so people always assume I'm innocent and fragile when in reality I've led a very brutal life so I'm quite hardened - almost nothing can shock me, I've seen it all - and I feel like my physical voice/body does not match my internal self and gives people the wrong impression. My inner speech used to be very negative about myself because I absorbed the hatred of my family but now it's like my friend that helps me understand things. What I've noticed is that narcissists lack inner speech which is why they are incapable of introspection and believe they are always right no matter what.

[@LLLadySSS]

I can't imagine living my life without inner speech. Sometimes I talk to myself sometimes I talk with myself. Like if inner speech was someone and I was... Me. Lol

[@TheSuperCoolMan122]

our thoughts talking to our "self"

[@wellwelp313]

It kinda help me goes through 3 years of depression cause from Social Anxiety. 2 years have passed since then but im fine now.

[@jamesgabor9284]

Same, I also talk to myself, except the part that’s less “me” has a different voice

[@ValeriePallaoro]

@CyborgJiro Inner speech is conversations that you 'hear', silent in sound but apparent in your head like words. Thinking in general, like when you are writing a points list or dictating a paragraph to type, is not inner speech because it's not a conversation.

[@melwasnevergivenaname]

Lady.whatever what a great distinction, the difference between "to myself" and "with myself" 👏👏 When I'm lonely or processing/reprocessing it's often "with myself", engaging with all of the different facets of me. When I have critical thoughts (that I recognize) I quickly announce it's "just that critical bit" talking to my current self.

[@sageandcandle]

My deaf friends say they have this as well in ASL. I regularly see them sign to themselves while shopping or reading. I have been known to dream ASL conversations. I sign to myself if I really need to remember and don't want to speak outloud in a public setting.

[@keldoe1351]

People aren’t always just engaging in inner speech at all times? Woah.

[@ethan.000]

Ikr... (this may be weird idek) but sometimes i have conversations with different "voices" if i'm bored. But i'm not crazy lol.

[@mrcleeves7106]

@@ethan.000 thats what a crazy person would say....

[@jo-vf8jx]

ethan ADD/ADHD? That’s what I’ve got and my mind hardly ever shuts up lol

[@danielreed3718]

jo YES. My brain does not shut up.

[@tlo1216]

It's so exhausting...

[@chaseorton-brown5225]

My parents raised me with a philosophy of "the voices you hear in your head are your parents'" not necessarily that you hear their voices specifically, but the kinds of things you say to yourself are the kind of things your parents say. I quite often remember how my dad encourages me to be helpful and loving, and my mom reminds me to be compassionate and honest. They worked very hard through to years to help me build a self sufficient and self loving internal dialogue and I greatly appreciate them for it :)

[@joker6solitaire]

When I was diagnosed with ADHD at age 33, I was given ADHD medication that quieted my involuntary inner speech for the first time in my life. It was as if all the "background chatter" constantly running in my head had quieted down. Kinda like turning down the volume on the radio. Without that noisy inner speech, I could finally focus clearly on what was happening around me and complete tasks more easily. I could still produce inner speech for a directed purpose, like weighing pros and cons of a decision, but when I didn't need it, the inner speech would stop incessantly chattering about tons of different topics and simply SHUT UP. My head felt so quiet! The psychologist who diagnosed my ADHD through formal testing explained that the term "Attention DEFICIT Disorder" is a misnomer; ADHD is not about LACKING an attention span, but having TOO MUCH attention. What he means is: a brain with ADHD is chronically under-stimulated. It seeks stimulation constantly, from any source it can get, be it sensory or mental. Based on his explanation, I think my noisy inner speech was my ADHD brain seeking stimulation; if I'm not gettting extra sensory input (like petting soft kittens or tapping out morse code with my foot), my brain generates incessant inner speech.

[@UAVwaffle]

Oh that makes sense I also have ADHD and I noticed when I mess with something to help me focus my inner speach quiets down drastically

[@julia15206]

When i took adhd medicine my mind went quiet too but that only lasted 9 hours for me then that didnt ever happen again xD, I hear kind of like a radio station too or like im answering questions to myself in my head so when the medicine went away i could hear the music come slowly back x). I like it tho so I was happy. I sort of only see images in my mind when I think of memories, daydream or when Im sleeping, so was kinda bored that day, felt like a cat just staring out the window x).

[@erikferland6602]

This sounds like heaven

[@leelee84701]

i need meds so bad bro 💀

[@jordanbridges]

​@Erik Ferland I was going to comment the same thing! Cause right now, it's hell for me.

[@chaoskid1024]

When I get stressed, my inner voice can "hang", saying the same phrase over and over again like a broken record. If I'm REALLY stressed, I'll even verbalize it a little.

[@xviii5780]

Same. Also it becomes louder (?), and more intruding.

[@RL-fr4hf]

Same! Happens usually when I'm in a hurry, and focused on a task. It can be a completely random word too, like nutmeg. I'll just hear, "nutmeg, nutmeg, nutmeg, nutmeg" and then my inner monologue is like "shut up dude", nutmeg, nutmeg

[@MrNyerk]

I've the same issue and it's usually not pleasant. I found a trick to interrupt the cycle, I shout a short reassuring key sentence back at the myself (internally obviously). It breaks the loop for a short period, allowing myself to redirect the inner conversation in a more constructive way.

[@leahl5007]

I’ll get that when i’m super fatigued or deeply depressed. Even music or melodies can become repeated that way.

[@verycoolguy5947]

You might have ocd

[@Aryzuo]

This has always fascinated me because I'm someone who has a very strong inner monologue. There's almost always a dialog going on between 'myself' and usually another 'myself' playing devil's advocate or something along those lines. It's almost impossible for me to 'think silently' which makes it very interesting that other people function almost exactly opposite.

[@adhritgulati6794]

Yeah, same here

[@ImNotQualifiedToSayThisBut]

You'd think the more elaborate one's inner speech is, the more self-aware and reflective they are.

[@DutchDread]

I find it difficult to talk about this without sounding insulting. I have at least 2 or 3 levels of inner monologue going on at all times, the main one is a running commentary on what I am doing or me analyzing some hypothetical scenario or thought, then I have a second line of thought thats essentially talking and analysing the main train of thought, and then there are constant snippets in a third layer of other things my brain is pre-occupied with, and at any time any of those can catch my focus and become the new main train of thought. Hell, I even have a constant inner monologue going on while I am dreaming. And here is the insulting part, I honestly think the people who don't have this, are less than human. They are not truly conscious, they are npc's. I don't even know who I would mean when I say "I" if it weren't for the running commentary in my mind, that is me. Without me there I'd just be an automaton mindlessly cruising through life. Sure I could do it, my thoughts don't need to be present in order for my body to function, I can snowboard, or drive, or work, or do basically anything while my actual mind is virtually completely clocked out, simulating some other scenario with words and images that is more real than the stuff happening infront of my eyes. But that me that runs my body, is just a mindless slave to me, it doesn't think, not really, it just acts. And when I hear that a bunch of people apparently only have that thing inside their skulls, well, it makes all the rampant stupidity in the world make a lot more sense.

[@adhritgulati6794]

@@DutchDread couldn't have put it on better myself

[@dagger6432]

Hey bro look up "Schizophrenia".

[@Hanayancey]

I do inner speech almost all the time. It helps me stay focused on the task at hand, less roaming around aimlessly

[@Naiadryade]

Props to whoever thought up "you can still talk about it amongst yourself" 😂

[@jennicaharris9134]

Yeah, that made me laugh.

[@seraph644]

'abbreviated thought' is such a good description. For me thoughts are their own medium: not words, not pictures, more like a flash, where you are only aware of it after it happened. So anytime I want to work with a thought I just had, I have to reconstruct it into words. It's more like hearing a segment of conversation from across the room and working backwards to piece the whole sentance together.

[@paigemcninch3003]

Exactly what I experience!! My thoughts are very abstract and I have to actively put them into words in order to communicate them

[@ambermartin3961]

I'm similar, which has caused some "interesting" communication breakdowns between me and others. I also had to force myself to slow down my reading speed if I needed to study in more traditional ways. It was not an issue until college. I just kind of "absorbed" the written words. My kid is similar. It is hard to explain how I work out problems or get to solutions. I had to teach myself how to explain my processes in words.

[@paigemcninch3003]

@@ambermartin3961 same here!! sometimes I'll get to an answer to a problem but be completely unable to explain it.

[@ambermartin3961]

@Paige McNinch I don't even remember how I sort of figured out how to do it. I'm still better at doing it for complex processes. And I'll still "blather" as a way to try and come up with a worded explanation.... this is hit or miss and typically takes a really patient interlocutor!

[@l.ijspeert9040]

Very interesting, super cool to learn about this! I mostly think in inner monologue but also in other ways, like more visually. However it is hard for me to imagine not having the monologue as well.

[@timfriday9106]

I would be interested to see the correlation between people with executive function disorders(ASD/ADHD/OCD) and the frequency/intensity of inner speech. Everyone I know that's neurodivergent has expansive inner speech. I'm inside my head all day and i'm ADHD/ASD my sister also who is ADHD. It blew my mind when I found out there were people who don't do it at all...like...I can't imagine what my life would be like if i didn't hear me in my head 24/7

[@thisiscait]

ADHD but with the opposite! My thoughts are so chaotic already I don't know how I'd survive if these thoughts had a voice, that sounds totally overwhelming!

[@bellathemusicaddict]

@@thisiscait that sounds like me! I’m not 100% sure I have ADHD, but it runs in the family and the shoe fits, lol. My thoughts constantly jump from one thing to the next, I couldn’t even form sentences fast enough in my head xD When I need to focus or organize something, I tend to speak to myself so that my thoughts don’t interrupt me, if that makes any sense.

[@KatharineOsborne]

🙋‍♀️yup that’s me. I’ve got ASD/OCD/PTSD and a history of anxiety and depression. The voice is relentless, but I don’t generally mind it. I’m never bored and can keep myself entertained all in my head. I also have excellent internal visual-spatial reasoning, so I can design 3D objects like garments or furniture or houses in my head and figure out how best to build them (I don’t most of the time because I can’t afford materials).

[@dazeslays]

i have ocd and depression and am neurodivergent (adhd and/or autism, tests are too expensive) and my inner speech comes and goes. i think in feelings and impulses most of the time, and occasionally flashes of images, but i "talk" when planning out something i'm going to write, trying to remember a specific phrase or set of numbers, and when i am trying to center myself ("okay, time to send that email"). i sometimes "read aloud" to myself as well, but not always. i deal with intrusive thoughts and thought spirals thanks to ocd/depression, and that's sometimes inner speech and sometimes just feelings, impulses, or imagery. i also sometimes generate inner speech dialogue between two or more people, and i am not usually one of them (i am not talking to kermit the frog, kermit and ms piggy are talking to each other). that conversational inner speech sometimes doesn't even feel like i'm totally in control of it, just that i'm shaping the conversation somewhat. a few months ago i tried antipsychotic meds because stimulants weren't treating my adhd symptoms, and my brain went eerily silent. no inner speech chattering in the background, no randomly manifesting memories... nothing. i stopped taking them after a week because it was just so strange. there's a lot going on in here 🧠

[@azy6868]

@@dazeslays Have you tried retraining your inner dialogue? I have had similar experiences to you it has worked for me for the last 7 years. First thing is to be aware of when the negative voice is active. Listen with an analytical ear and work out if it's fact, fiction, positive, negative, paranoia or daydreaming e.t.c. Then state the actual facts to your self rather than imagined fears. Sometimes you have to flatly contradict and re-educate the inner voice. It's not easy but over time and with practice you can retrain your inner dialogue to be a positive and productive tool to keep you calm and clear headed through the toughest real world circumstances. I think a lot of the time negative voices are just a survival technique imagining the worst case scenario forcing us to develop strategies to counter theorised threats. Which is a positive thing. But some can be overactive and overwhelmed by it. Good luck and stay positive.

[@awoogagoogaloo2889]

Something interesting I do when talking to myself is moving my mouth ever so slightly and breathing as if I'm talking. I can also make really loud noises in my head like screaming, static, random frequencies, music, etc.

[@brandiminor1632]

I have a psychotic disorder. The voices are different from your inner dialog. Our thoughts are normal, but the voice sound like someone is actually talking in your ear. We can distinguish between the two but sometimes delusion may make you think the voice has a purpose.

[@sallylauper8222]

The voice in my ear is always me; if it weren't I'd be psychotic.

[@robdeskrd]

Very few people who aren't psychotic or schizophrenic will really understand the particular subtleties of the voices

[@jaymata1218]

Thanks for sharing that, very interesting.

[@ttuny1412]

I remember a few times when I was young, I would hear a voice that sounded real and it was not my inner voice. It would freak me out. I'm glad I was able to resist them. I see you wrote "We" can distinguish between the two," so I'm asking, does it feel like another person is living within you? Because when it happened to me, it felt like someone else may have been in me.

[@Josh729J]

​@@sallylauper8222 i hear different people all the time as if theyre talking to me giving me advice etc but that doesnt make me psychotic? Its like an inner monologue with someone i trust more than myself

[@raquellsteele5277]

"Non existant interactions" Me and people like me : *turns to look at imaginary camera* 🤫

[@audreydoyle5268]

Get an actual camera and you become like the thousands of people who upload to youtube. Also, I imagine both a camera or a person, and turn my head in a different direction if I'm talking to another person because usually I pretend there's multiple people, but can imagine only one other. It's quite fun, but also a little anxiety inducing when I whisper too loud 😂

[@squigglypeterson7157]

That's fantastic

[@julsie3195]

Thanks, now my keyboard's drenched in wine and spit.

[@aubreyharper4829]

I feel like I'm with the 3 stooges 😂

[@mushroom7839]

You've exposed us- uhhh me.

[@hurricane31415]

I can't even imagine not having that "inner speech". All that's explained in the video seems so natural (except it's not often about "me" nor it is negative very often).

[@kylewarfield6137]

Yeah I don’t really have inner speech. It’s mostly just images or me imagining what would happen in a certain interaction. I can MAKE myself hear my voice and act out an internal monologue, but I never just think that way. You know the intro for the Big Bang theory? Imagine that but every image that pops across the screen pertains to whatever you’re thinking about in that moment, maybe some of them are short videos. That’s how I think. There isn’t really a voice. Although I do act out an argument or something in my head every once in a while.

[@keithsmallwood9804]

Mine is sometimes about me, and very rarely is it negative unless I'm rehashing a recent mistake...

[@rykerising1409]

What a fascinating video. I have an inner monologue literally every waking moment, so it didn't even occur to me that other brains don't work that way. I just assumed everyone had an inner voice criticizing their past actions, planning future tasks, and motivating them to do the things they don't like. I even have music playing in my head most of the time, and it just plays in the 'background' even while I have complex thoughts. I couldn't even imagine experiencing even one moment of life without speech or music in my head. It sounds peaceful but strange.

[@TheGirugamesh1000]

They do this is nonsense.