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The Voice in your Head (2 Viewers)

Psychopav said:
Do you imagine, or visualize, future conversations that you have with others?  For example, if you are driving home and plan to talk to your wife about purchasing a large screen TV to watch the superbowl on, do you imagine that conversation in your mind and construct the full sentences that you will speak when you have the actual conversation later?
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I practice important conversations with the wife and clients all the time in my head.   

 
The Iguana said:
Actually thinking about this now, I want to know what people that don't have this voice do on a long car trip, especially if driving alone. I spend my time either doing (and re-doing) the math to calculate my ETA or having one long talk with myself after another. 
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radio - podcast :oldunsure:

 
I can't say that I recall ever practicing a conversation out loud on purpose, but my internal voice will "leak out" often - usually when working out some problem. At work I have had several people that sit near me think I'm talking to them and then I realize that my internal voice, while trying to work out some code/query/solution, has become not so internal. Same kind of thing in the car, but more with body movement more than vocalizations - my wife will ask me what I'm doing and usually it involves me moving my hands as if I'm in a conversation but without any words coming out. 

 
The Iguana said:
I can't say that I recall ever practicing a conversation out loud on purpose, but my internal voice will "leak out" often - usually when working out some problem. At work I have had several people that sit near me think I'm talking to them and then I realize that my internal voice, while trying to work out some code/query/solution, has become not so internal. Same kind of thing in the car, but more with body movement more than vocalizations - my wife will ask me what I'm doing and usually it involves me moving my hands as if I'm in a conversation but without any words coming out. 
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this exactly for me.   rare that it happens, but it does.     Wife quite often will verbalize internal voice. Sometimes annoying.

 
Psychopav said:
This is where we have the difference.  I visualize future conversations (typically just the words I will say), in complete sentences, including inflection...in my head...ALL the time...

I NEVER do this out loud.  Ever.
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Interesting.  When I’m practicing for a public speaking engagement or for court, I also need to run through it out loud. It’s hard for me to stay focused or get more than a line in if I try to run through it in my head. Just get too distracted too quickly. 

 
Otis said:
Interesting.  When I’m practicing for a public speaking engagement or for court, I also need to run through it out loud. It’s hard for me to stay focused or get more than a line in if I try to run through it in my head. Just get too distracted too quickly. 
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I can't do it aloud.  Seems too embarrassing to do that, even if I was alone.  

ETA: But we all know you love to hear yourself talk .   :D

 
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Reactions: Ned
i fully admit - I'm not a deep thinker/philosophical person....

I'm closer to a meathead than scholar....  Maybe I'm all surface :)   :(

 
It’s probably why I’m not a great poker player. I’m very much by the seat of my pants, winging it, playing based on gut. I’m impatient. Impetuous. I don’t take the time to work through the pot odds or what this guy has or that guy has.  Maybe I’m the same way with everything in life, just not as deliberate or careful as others, and maybe this is why?

:shrug:  

 
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Reactions: Ned
Getzlaf15 said:
I can't do it aloud.  Seems too embarrassing to do that, even if I was alone.  
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Do it all the time walking around my house when everyone is upstairs or in another room, I’ll run through some conversation or presentation or something I plan to speak about at a meeting. Every now and then one of my girls walks in confused and asks what I’m doing.

I don’t think I could accomplish it in my head. 

 
Otis said:
Do it all the time walking around my house when everyone is upstairs or in another room, I’ll run through some conversation or presentation or something I plan to speak about at a meeting. Every now and then one of my girls walks in confused and asks what I’m doing.

I don’t think I could accomplish it in my head. 
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I think it's totally understandable and probably necessary in public speaking or court to practice out loud.

 
The Iguana said:
Actually thinking about this now, I want to know what people that don't have this voice do on a long car trip, especially if driving alone. I spend my time either doing (and re-doing) the math to calculate my ETA or having one long talk with myself after another. 
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Listening to music or talking out loud.  I figure other drivers just think I’m on a Bluetooth call. 

 
jamny said:
I think it's totally understandable and probably necessary in public speaking or court to practice out loud.
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I don't know, I used to be a teacher and I would do the same thing in preparation for class, but never out loud.

And he's saying that he never does it otherwise.

Like, Otis, what about planning a conversation with your wife?  Do you only do that out loud?

 
Psychopav said:
I don't know, I used to be a teacher and I would do the same thing in preparation for class, but never out loud.

And he's saying that he never does it otherwise.

Like, Otis, what about planning a conversation with your wife?  Do you only do that out loud?
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I don’t think I’ve ever planned a conversation with my wife. 

 
Otis said:
I don’t think I’ve ever planned a conversation with my wife. 
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"Planning" is much too strong a word.  "Visualized" would be a better choice.  I visualize conversations constantly. :shrug:  

 
Psychopav said:
"Planning" is much too strong a word.  "Visualized" would be a better choice.  I visualize conversations constantly. :shrug:  
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Never I don’t think. I just have a mental notion (without “speaking” this in my head) that I need to remember to let my wife know about something that just happened. And then when I see her I verbalize whatever it was. 
 

Are you practicing this conversation with your wife because you’re nervous about it?  Or just something you do with all conversations?

 
Otis said:
I do this out loud sometimes for conversations I’m nervous about having — I’ll speak out loud when I’m in the car or something and practice what I would say.  But it’s a very intentional thing, and only in those kinds of circumstances.  And I’m not sure I could do it in my head if I even tried.
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do you find you do this more since learning how to be a public speaker? or have you always done this?

 
Otis said:
Never I don’t think. I just have a mental notion (without “speaking” this in my head) that I need to remember to let my wife know about something that just happened. And then when I see her I verbalize whatever it was. 
 

Are you practicing this conversation with your wife because you’re nervous about it?  Or just something you do with all conversations?
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Not all conversations, and this isn't the only thing I visualize.  But lots of conversations, even monologues in my head - thoughts in sentences and words.  And not at all because I'm nervous about it.

 
Psychopav said:
Not all conversations, and this isn't the only thing I visualize.  But lots of conversations, even monologues in my head - thoughts in sentences and words.  And not at all because I'm nervous about it.
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Interesting. Don’t think I’ve ever done this. 

 
Otis said:
Do it all the time walking around my house when everyone is upstairs or in another room, I’ll run through some conversation or presentation or something I plan to speak about at a meeting. Every now and then one of my girls walks in confused and asks what I’m doing.

I don’t think I could accomplish it in my head. 
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Same here.  Do it in the house and in the car. And I'm by myself a lot and it's my cats that looked confused since I don't have any kids.

When I was in Vegas in Dec for a trade show, my co-worker and roommate for the week looked at me while we were in the room and he said: "do you realize you just had a conversation with yourself?"  I said:  :oldunsure:

 
-arcK- said:
Does this internal monologue concept have any relation to how we experience dreams?

Many years ago my sister told me that when she dreams, she doesn't "see" anything, she just "knows" what's happening in her dreams based on feelings.

WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!? This blew my mind. Still does.

When I dream I experience sight, sound, and touch every time. Smell and taste aren't common at all but can occasionally occur if pertinent to a particular dream situation. As an added note... even in dreams I have an internal monologue that other people in the dreams can't hear and aren't aware of.

What about everyone else... How do you experience your dreams?
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I remember waking from the first dream I had where it actually had dialogue.  That sucked, now I have to write/read?  Even in my dreams.  Can't anything be simple.

 
belljr said:
So lets say you are at the store and are buying a TV for example.

You are by yourself.  There are 2 TVS next to each other.

DO you have a "inner dialgoue"  debating which tv to buy?

i.e "this tv has and extra hdmi, this tv has better color"  etc?
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I’m not sure.  I may think those things in my head, but it’s not like a schizophrenic argument or anything.  

 
shuke said:
I’m not sure.  I may think those things in my head, but it’s not like a schizophrenic argument or anything.  
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Right.  You don't "hear voices." And you don't "speak those things in your head" either.  It's occurring to you as you look that one has HDMI, one doesn't, one has a better picture it seems, but none of that is discussed.  It's just realized.

 
Otis said:
Right.  You don't "hear voices." And you don't "speak those things in your head" either.  It's occurring to you as you look that one has HDMI, one doesn't, one has a better picture it seems, but none of that is discussed.  It's just realized.
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I'll give my example for this scenario:

I'll be looking at the TV and think to myself "I wonder how many HDMI's it has"  after looking behind the TV, I'd think "Good, 3 of them...that's what I need" I'd then be reading the description and get to the part that says "HDR Super Bit Mapping" and stop and think "What the hell does that mean"  I'd take out my phone and look it up, then think "Cool, that sounds interesting" and on and on.

 
jamny said:
I'll give my example for this scenario:

I'll be looking at the TV and think to myself "I wonder how many HDMI's it has"  after looking behind the TV, I'd think "Good, 3 of them...that's what I need" I'd then be reading the description and get to the part that says "HDR Super Bit Mapping" and stop and think "What the hell does that mean"  I'd take out my phone and look it up, then think "Cool, that sounds interesting" and on and on.
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That is mind blowing to me. 

 
bartender at the restaurant tonight, chatting up a girl. seems to be going well. 

she even stops by the bar on her way out to say something like "nice meeting you" and plays a bit with her hair. clearly waiting for bartender to say something.

he closes with "you'll see me later. we'll get drinks."

her face sours, she turns and walks out without numbers being exchanged.. looking clearly befuddled.

and i think, this is what happens when people don't have an inner monologue. they just blurt things out.

 
mr. furley said:
bartender at the restaurant tonight, chatting up a girl. seems to be going well. 

she even stops by the bar on her way out to say something like "nice meeting you" and plays a bit with her hair. clearly waiting for bartender to say something.

he closes with "you'll see me later. we'll get drinks."

her face sours, she turns and walks out without numbers being exchanged.. looking clearly befuddled.

and i think, this is what happens when people don't have an inner monologue. they just blurt things out.
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Did you monologue this line in your head?

 
I am with Otis, belljr, and bostonfred in the 15% "freak" category.  Just stumbled across this concept yesterday and asked a woman who works for me and she said she had the inner monologue.  I told her that I don't and her reaction was "that explains alot"

Had a similar convo with my wife yesterday.  I brought it up at dinner and she said she had heard about it earlier in the week.  Said she has a running monologue and upon hearing some dont immediately thought of me.

This is kinda freaking me out as I have been very consciously inspecting my thoughts and actions and while my head is "quiet" it is definitely filled with thoughts, concepts and ideas.  The diff between me and the 85% seems to be the lack of complete sentences.  My thoughts are much more conceptual and harder to articulate.  As such I seem to have less agency than the 85% describe and yet no one would call me impulsive.  Quite the opposite, they'd say I am overly planful and deliberate.  I am also well above average in intelligence, yet I do not think I am very good at speaking extemporaneously.  

 
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Morton Muffley said:
I am with Otis, belljr, and bostonfred in the 15% "freak" category.  Just stumbled across this concept yesterday and asked a woman who works for me and she said she had the inner monologue.  I told her that I don't and her reaction was "that explains alot"

Had a similar convo with my wife yesterday.  I brought it up at dinner and she said she had heard about it earlier in the week.  Said she has a running monologue and upon hearing some dont immediately thought of me.

This is kinda freaking me out as I have been very consciously inspecting my thoughts and actions and while my head is "quiet" it is definitely filled with thoughts, concepts and ideas.  The diff between me and the 85% seems to be the lack of complete sentences.  My thoughts are much more conceptual and harder to articulate.  As such I seem to have less agency than the 85% describe and yet no one would call me impulsive.  Quite the opposite, they'd say I am overly planful and deliberate.  I am also well above average in intelligence, yet I do not think I am very good at speaking extemporaneously.  
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The times I go all scripted is when I'm preparing what I will say in a situation I expect to happen soon. If I'm just doing stuff it is more of a quick shorthand that I understand.

 
Thought about this today, trying to see what I was doing.  Most of the time was "regular" thinking, but there were definitely times I was saying/hearing something in my head.  Usually when I was thinking about a conversation I was going to have to something I had to do.

 
I was thinking about this while on the flight back home and two things came to mind.  One, when I was workshopping jokes, I was literally doing the routines in my head.  Even to this day, when I tell myself something funny, it's the voice in my head going over tone and pitch in my head.  I noticed this on the flight because I actually caught myself doing small hand movements to go along with what I was saying in my head.  It made me wonder how people do that without a voice.

Also, you know that saying, "You are your own worst critic"?  That voice can be a Richard sometimes.  I might look in the mirror and the voice will be like, "Damn, you are getting fat."  Or I'll say something out loud to someone that is awkward and the voice inside my head will go, "Nice one, idiot."  It made me wonder if the people without the voice in their head are less likely to experience depression.  

 
-arcK- said:
You had to read the dialogue in your dream?!?
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It seemed that way. But it wasn't literally reading, it was just very weird.  One day I was dreaming just in feelings and visuals, and then it was in language also.

 
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