# Do you have an inner voice? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 15, 2024, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680 "2024-12-15T18:08:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680/61 "2024-12-17T03:32:52Z")
Mine is Thomas Magnum, always giving me real bad advice and pissing me off that I don’t have a Ferrari 308 (or 328 in later seasons) to drive off in. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680/62 "2024-12-17T03:46:03Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > But can you think of music? And when you do, is it perfectly like the real song (it is in my case)? I can think of music in some senses, but I’m not hearing it. My mother could. > [@bump](#): > > So if the sentence says “He looked a lot like Ned Flanders, except younger and black.”, you’re not visualizing how that person looks? I mean, I read the words, but I also visualize what a young, black Ned Flanders might look like in real life. I’m partly faceblind. And I have no idea what Ned Flanders looks like. I do have some idea what young black men might look like; but, even to me, they don’t all look like each other. I get some sense of what people in books look like; but if I go back and read their descriptions, it doesn’t always match. And in any case, no, I’m not generally visualizing them; I don’t make some sort of picture in my head of them. If later I see somebody’s drawing of a character, or an actor playing them, I might think “[character] doesn’t look like that!”; but it’s more along the lines of, the author made a point of the character being muscular and middleaged, why does this depiction of them look like a skinny teenager? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680/63 "2024-12-17T04:31:57Z")
I can’t do this. I can recall what Flanders looks like, but I can’t see details or manipulate the image. I can hear his voice, though. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680/64 "2024-12-17T05:01:49Z")
Absolutely - and it can sing and is funny as hell. Apparently my ‘outside voice’ - not so much. And - I absolutely do, and I wish it would shut up nagging me about things that are of no consequence - I really don’t need to remember my 8th grade locker combination or replay the argument from decades ago. It does come in handy when reading - thanks to PJ, I can now read the Hobbit/LOTR and put voices to the characters (makes the names much easier). I also have a visual component to my inner dialogue - harder to explain, but I can ‘see’ diagrams for things I want to build/repair. ---
**Author:** ![Sooner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sooner/32/7875_2.png) [@Sooner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sooner)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680/65 "2024-12-17T05:17:46Z")
I have a couple constant internal thought process; that often ague with each other; that I am very aware of. Sometimes it is English; often it is not If it is math, the thoughts more come into my head - in a way I can not explain If I am pondering a building project, it resembles a 3D exploded view. Most of my life I had serious sleep issues, because the problems had multiple solution. And each had points and counter points, that just went round and round. But serious drugs have recently given me some decent sleep ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680/66 "2024-12-17T10:16:53Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Do those that don’t have an inner voice get ear worms? Yes, as I already wrote some posts ago. > [@enipla](#): > > Meaning hearing a song over and over in their head. I am not sure I _hear_ the song, but I hum to bits of the song and whistle parts of it over and over. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680/67 "2024-12-17T11:32:39Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > I am not sure I _hear_ the song… I just play it in my head. Sounds exactly like the artist/band. I thought everyone did this. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680/68 "2024-12-17T11:39:28Z")
> **[I Have An iPod–'In My Mind'](https://theonion.com/i-have-an-ipod-in-my-mind-1819584018/)** > > I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of tech-savvy people smugly showing off that new hunk of entertainment hardware, the iPod personal stereo. Well, I might not have the scratch to get one, but frankly, I don’t want the white-corded wonder. I have my very own... ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680/69 "2024-12-17T12:15:29Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > But can you think of music? And when you do, is it perfectly like the real song (it is in my case)? > [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Not quite sure what you mean? I know the words to thousands of songs. I can read music, but would not be able to quickly transcribe it just on hearing a tune. I meant as some are alluding here, to being able to hear music in the minds…ear. In my case, I can’t listen to music first thing in the morning because it will be playing in my mind for the rest of the day. And it’s so much like the real song playing, that I think I’ve been fooled at least a couple of times in my life by thinking a song was playing in my mind when actually it was being played, quietly, in real life. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680/70 "2024-12-17T12:17:50Z")
This topic is fascinating to me btw; both in the stark differences in how different people imagine and think through situations, and how it affects our ability to perform and enjoy certain tasks. I should probably have guessed that this was the case though. It’s clear that, for example, people able to sketch a human face from memory are seeing something I can’t see. I can recognize a face when I see it, but I can’t see it in my mind. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680/71 "2024-12-17T12:28:57Z")
It is interesting. I think I can relate to a little bit of something from just about every post in this thread. I get ear worms, but only if I’ve been listening to my favorite tunes and singing along for quite some time. I too hang on to thoughts that sometimes feel out of my easy control. I can fall into a sobbing wreck if you give me a minute. But other times I can shut the thoughts up if I make myself get distracted. Brains are strange things indeed. I think mine is a little more strange than many. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680/72 "2024-12-17T16:27:40Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I just play it in my head. Sounds exactly like the artist/band. I thought everyone did this I’m starting to think that there is almost nothing everyone does, or doesn’t do, for that matter. > [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > Brains are strange things indeed. This is true. ---
**Author:** ![Happytree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happytree/32/3555_2.png) [@Happytree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happytree)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680/73 "2024-12-17T17:13:24Z")
I am constantly having a conversation with myself upstairs. I’m in the middle of a conversation that i can’t remember the beginning of the moment i wake up. It can be a tad frustrating. I use this to my advantage at work. I set up industrial machinery. It can be tedious, and it’s easy to make stupid mistakes. So, every time i set up a job, i train an imaginary person in my head. It keeps me honest and thorough. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680/74 "2024-12-17T20:27:28Z")
and if nothing else, you can blame it on the new guy. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680/75 "2024-12-17T20:31:38Z")
When I visualise things, it’s like I can’t quite control their opacity - I can see them, sort of, but I can see through them. I was wondering whether people who don’t have an internal monologue, ever write poetry, and if they do, what is their process. When I write prose, there is a trial and error sort of editing/rehearsal process happening in my head - I practice it internally, making alterations, until I have something that I think sounds right. If it’s something I’m going to publish, it might get further revisions after I have recorded it in writing, but the broad strokes happen before I utter or write a word. But how does that work if you can’t hear it in your head? ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680/76 "2024-12-17T20:47:07Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I’m starting to think that there is almost nothing everyone does, or doesn’t do, for that matter. This. There is no “normal” in any meaningful sense when it comes to brain function. ---
**Author:** ![Monstera\_deliciosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monstera_deliciosa/32/109_2.png) [@Monstera\_deliciosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstera_deliciosa)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680/77 "2024-12-17T20:56:52Z")
I remember being a little worried as a child when I heard that talking to yourself was a sign of mental illness. “But I talk to myself all the time, just not out loud,” I thought. “Doesn’t everybody?” My inner monologue is a constant stream of thoughts, from when I first awake in the morning, until I sleep at night. At various times in my life I’ve tried make my mind blank, but I can’t. When I try I find I am actually thinking about not thinking! I think my inner visualization, on the other hand, is rather poor. I _can_ visualize things, but it is not automatic, and I really have to concentrate to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680/78 "2024-12-17T20:59:15Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > But how does that work if you can’t hear it in your head? You simply wonder in awe at the result as it happens. As one of my teachers said: “How do you expect me to know what I think before I say it?” ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680/79 "2024-12-17T21:42:34Z")
But if you’re hearing and comprehending your own words for the first time when they come out of your mouth, it seems like it could be argued they’re the words of _someone else_ who lives in your brain and doesn’t communicate with you. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680/80 "2024-12-17T21:52:35Z")
Indeed, consciousness is a misterious thing. But it doesn’t sound worse than changing your argument into > But if you’re hearing and comprehending your own words for the first time ~~when they come out of your mouth~~ in your head, it seems like it could be argued they’re the words of _someone else_ who lives in your brain and does ~~n’t~~ communicate with you. Both ideas seem funny to me, but both are too simplistic, as the voice in your head will easily convince you of if you give it a chance. Anyway, I have convinced myself of it by writing it down. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-an-inner-voice/1011680.md?page=5)