Red Mosquito

What is the difference between an inner monologue and having thoughts? Are people saying they don't have thoughts?

Dev wrote:What is the difference between an inner monologue and having thoughts? Are people saying they don't have thoughts?

Dev wrote:What is the difference between an inner monologue and having thoughts? Are people saying they don't have thoughts?

The way I've seen this question play out is some people think in complete sentences, like they "hear" a voice in their head saying "I am hungry now, perhaps I will have a sandwich." That's what they mean with "inner monologue." Whereas others, like myself, have the same thought in a more abstract, wordless way.

Such as raw instinct and mathematical equations?

Yeah I see equations and the Vitruvian Man

Jorge wrote:

Dev wrote:What is the difference between an inner monologue and having thoughts? Are people saying they don't have thoughts?

The way I've seen this question play out is some people think in complete sentences, like they "hear" a voice in their head saying "I am hungry now, perhaps I will have a sandwich." That's what they mean with "inner monologue." Whereas others, like myself, have the same thought in a more abstract, wordless way.

Yep, pretty much. The thoughts are there but wordless. I also think in images a lot.

Question for both groups that won’t work great here since you’ll be reading it…but if someone says the word “rollercoaster” do you picture the coaster, see the word in your head, or neither?

It's kinda hard to explain, and I don't think it's the same for every word. But yeah sometimes I get like a visual flash of the object corresponding to the word.

I'm fascinated by those people who say they can't form images in their minds or "hear" sounds. It's interesting how different everyone's mind is.

Jorge wrote:

Dev wrote:What is the difference between an inner monologue and having thoughts? Are people saying they don't have thoughts?

The way I've seen this question play out is some people think in complete sentences, like they "hear" a voice in their head saying "I am hungry now, perhaps I will have a sandwich." That's what they mean with "inner monologue." Whereas others, like myself, have the same thought in a more abstract, wordless way.

Your inner monologue is Balki.

Jorge wrote:It's kinda hard to explain, and I don't think it's the same for every word. But yeah sometimes I get like a visual flash of the object corresponding to the word.

I'm fascinated by those people who say they can't form images in their minds or "hear" sounds. It's interesting how different everyone's mind is.

Most def

Question for people who do have an internal monologue: When you read a book, are you not picturing what’s happening in your head? Like are you just absorbing it as words and nothing else?

LoathedVermin72 wrote:Question for people who do have an internal monologue: When you read a book, are you not picturing what’s happening in your head? Like are you just absorbing it as words and nothing else?

No I’m picturing. I may pause on something I read that I have a few mostly formed thoughts on. Like I’m reading In Cold Blood right now and it’s describing the family and their farm and I think to myself “That reminds me of the farm next to my parents’ house/where I grew up. I’ll generally have a quick flash of their house also. Depending on how active my brain is that day that may lead to another quick thought.

If I am thinking of something or reading something or describing something visual to someone I am probably visualizing.

I could visualize the words of a sentence if I needed to, and I can focus on words I am reading if needed, but more likely I am absorbing it.

I might sound out an argument in my head before I make a post on RM, for example. And yeah, I will edit and rearrange things in my head until I like it. If I am speaking to someone I would never plan my words but I might prepare an argument.

I am pretty sure everything I am describing us universal.

I am pretty sure the misunderstanding here is on the people who think that the people who 'have inner monologues' are in any way different from them.

But I still have no idea if I have an inner monologue or just thoughts so maybe someone can help me out.

Thought experiment:

If you see a hot chick with a huge rack how do you react?

In my head I would be like "good god that girl is the best."

And I would be able to say the same thing out loud to a friend.

But yeah I think my thoughts would tend to be in English and not just vague impressions I am getting.

Dev wrote:If you see a hot chick with a huge rack how do you react?

In my head I would be like "good god that girl is the best."

And I would be able to say the same thing out loud to a friend.

But yeah I think my thoughts would tend to be in English and not just vague impressions I am getting.

From that last part it sounds like you do have an inner monologue.

I would not think in a sentence like that unless I was thinking of how to verbalize something or the best way to write it out. If I'm not planning on expressing it to someone else, I don't hear "that chick is hot" in my head. I just get the abstract idea that the chick is hot. It's not vague and it doesn't require any decoding, I just... have the thought.

It doesn't seem like this is some illusion either, there's a lot of research about the different ways people process thoughts!

I'm pretty much the same as Dev...in this regard at least.

When this conversation became a thing a few years ago I really didn't know people's brain worked in the way Jorge just described. It's all interesting af stuff.

lennytheweedwhacker wrote:I'm pretty much the same as Dev...in this regard at least.

When this conversation became a thing a few years ago I really didn't know people's brain worked in the way Jorge just described. It's all interesting af stuff.

The difference being your inner monologue would say “good god I must be gay, because I do not find that large breasted woman attractive in the least, but cute purse.”

spike wrote:

lennytheweedwhacker wrote:I'm pretty much the same as Dev...in this regard at least.

When this conversation became a thing a few years ago I really didn't know people's brain worked in the way Jorge just described. It's all interesting af stuff.

The difference being your inner monologue would say “good god I must be gay, because I do not find that large breasted woman attractive in the least, but cute purse.”

I would only say that when i'm brainstorming my future hit novel: "John Spike the Fancy Fat Idiot"

Do you own a backscratcher?

Matters wrote:Do you own a backscratcher?

Yes, I do.