I have no internal voice whatsoever. AMA

[Anonymous]

I did not realize anybody had an internal voice or internal monologue until the popular article was published about it a few years ago. I guess I am unusual because I have no internal voice at all. AMA

[Anonymous]

Do you mean you don’t hear an internal monologue or you are not aware of your thoughts? Like, you just…do stuff? No thought about it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you mean you don’t hear an internal monologue or you are not aware of your thoughts? Like, you just…do stuff? No thought about it?

I just do stuff without thinking of words, unless I talk to myself out loud.

[Anonymous]

Are you impulsive?

[Anonymous]

I don’t understand either. Do you have thoughts? When you go about making a decision do you mull it over in your head? I don’t get it. Please explain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you mean you don’t hear an internal monologue or you are not aware of your thoughts? Like, you just…do stuff? No thought about it?

I just do stuff without thinking of words, unless I talk to myself out loud.

But what about the lead up to deciding what to do?

What if you do something and then regret it or like it? Do you think about this regret or excitement after the fact? What if you encounter something you don’t understand - do you wonder to yourself about it?

[Anonymous]

I can’t even imagine what that must be like.

[Anonymous]

I had no internal words when I was a kid -- I thought in thoughts, not words. Then as a teen I started translating my thoughts into words. I prefer thinking in thoughts. : (

[Anonymous]

Those of us with an “internal voice” don’t literally hear voices in our head. We just have a lot of thoughts.

If someone hears voices in their head then they need a doctor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had no internal words when I was a kid -- I thought in thoughts, not words. Then as a teen I started translating my thoughts into words. I prefer thinking in thoughts. : (

Your thoughts don’t have words? I don’t get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had no internal words when I was a kid -- I thought in thoughts, not words. Then as a teen I started translating my thoughts into words. I prefer thinking in thoughts. : (

If you didn’t have words then what were your thoughts comprised of? Were they not in a language? Do you mean feelings? Feelings do not require words although we try and use words to articulate them so that we may communicate our feelings via language.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand either. Do you have thoughts? When you go about making a decision do you mull it over in your head? I don’t get it. Please explain.

The best way I can try to explain it is like I don't need to translate my thoughts into English words. I understand my thoughts without words and skip a step - I skip elucidating (?) the thoughts to myself. Probably similar to how athletes play sports. I imagine they often don't talk through in their heads in words how to, for example, kick the ball in soccer, they just know to do it and kick it.

But if I need to mull over something, I sometimes talk it over out loud. Really, I talk to myself a lot. I might be cooking and speaking out loud like:

"Okay, I need that spice. . . Ok got it. Where's the knife, oh there it is. This isn't sharp enough, I will get another. . ."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had no internal words when I was a kid -- I thought in thoughts, not words. Then as a teen I started translating my thoughts into words. I prefer thinking in thoughts. : (

If you didn’t have words then what were your thoughts comprised of? Were they not in a language? Do you mean feelings? Feelings do not require words although we try and use words to articulate them so that we may communicate our feelings via language.

Deep thought, isn't it? I think my thoughts are there totally, just not translated unless I do so speaking to myself or writing them down.

[Anonymous]

It's 100% spontaneous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand either. Do you have thoughts? When you go about making a decision do you mull it over in your head? I don’t get it. Please explain.

The best way I can try to explain it is like I don't need to translate my thoughts into English words. I understand my thoughts without words and skip a step - I skip elucidating (?) the thoughts to myself. Probably similar to how athletes play sports. I imagine they often don't talk through in their heads in words how to, for example, kick the ball in soccer, they just know to do it and kick it.

But if I need to mull over something, I sometimes talk it over out loud. Really, I talk to myself a lot. I might be cooking and speaking out loud like:

"Okay, I need that spice. . . Ok got it. Where's the knife, oh there it is. This isn't sharp enough, I will get another. . ."

If your thoughts are not comprised of words then what are they comprised of? Are you talking about your subconscious?

90% of human behavior day to day is subconscious. This is when a conscious behavior becomes a habit and we no longer need to be effortful in the task. We complete without conscious effort or thought. Conscious effort, such as a new recipe or new task, requires thought. But it too with enough practice can become a subconscious behavior. Is this what you mean?