I just learned that 50-70% of the population doesn’t have an internal monologue.
I honestly can’t really comprehend this.
Discussion
That makes so much sense.
I have a good imagination, but this is one I have difficulty comprehending.
So.......they just act without thinking?
I discovered in madeira conf this year... How come!? Internal monologue is how I spend most of my energy!
For real? Is this not normal?
WTF
What?! How can that be? Maybe they just don't listen to themselves ...
It explains so much, many also can not visualize images infront of their third eye.
Imagine listen to radio when drive alone instead of simulate conversations 🙄
My internal monologue goes almost non-stop.
MF won't shut the fuck up.
That's funny I was just asking myself why I didn't have one.
Funnily enough I was discussing that with myself the other day, but then I butted in and started discussing lunch.
Luckily, I took control and started discussing the weather and whether I should be booking a restaurant for tomorrow evening.
Same!
Wait, is this just a "talking to yourself" kind of thing, or is it more subtle, meaning hearing words and dialogues that happens somehow "spontaneously" in our mind?
I think it’s just the talking to yourself sort of thing.
Io non ho mai silenzio in testa, tra dialoghi e musica.
Sono curioso di chiedere ai miei amici adesso
I have an external monologue.
I hear Gilbert Gottfried’s voice in my head.
USA UP ALL NIGHT!!
Afai understand it those people do think and feel meaning and concepts, just not verbally in their mind.
Wot
Source?
Which do psychopaths have? Not like I'm asking for myself...
I just learned that 50-75% of the population makes up percentage analytics for engagement.
My internal voice says, FUCK u.
I’m not surprised in the slightest. If you agree that we live in a simulation, it only makes sense that a major part of the population are NPCs controlled by the simulation engine or AI, and why would those have internal monologue.
Maybe those with an internal monologue are reading their script.
Mine doesn't have a script thanks.
Now stay away, that empty shit is dangerous & disturbing... 🤣
How could this be tested?
I would asume self reported in psychology studies?
Yeah. Self reported definitely doesn’t mean “not true” though.
Probably means that it’s directionally correct. Still shocking.
Right?! Even if it's 10% that's still shocking to me.
💯 Even if self-reported, it’s remarkable that so many people would report that.
That being said, I’m sure a good part of the population is more visually oriented than auditory oriented.
That might have something to do with it.
I work in sound, so I know where I stand, but I work with a lot of directors and picture editors.
yeah, no that's valid information. That's why it's valid for serveys.
I think it partly can be explained by the fact that we're wired different. Like me, my best thinking it s made in dialogues and if I don't have that, in writing.
Internal monologues are the fiat/credit version of monologues. Unsettled. Without substance.
If you have one (as I do), make the conversation worthwhile.
I'm always interrupting myself (>_<)
True.
Bitcoin interrupted me. Voice in my head said "wait a second...."
It’s not.
After reading the study, it said it was just an “estimate” from one guy. I think it’s far more probable that people with very little self-awareness are oblivious to their inner monologue.
There is also aphantasia, the inability to visualize mental images. Less than 4% of the population have this.
How do these people read books?
One of the main techniques of speed reading is NOT subvocalizing the words in your head. Basically just going to pure information without the stopover in virtualized speech.
Point being: might not be a problem for reading (or may even be beneficial!)
Interesting. I am going to experiment with this
I don't know a ton about speed reading, but one tip I had heard was you slowly count to 10 over and over again (just barely whispered) as you're reading the words. It's hard at first, but you kind of get used to it. Once you can get the meaning of the words just by looking at them (rather than "saying them in your head" - which is impossible while youre counting aloud), you can scan them faster and faster.
The upper bound for how fast you can scan your eyes over words is much higher than the speed at which you can "say them".
The other thing is looking at batches of words at a time. Like divide the page into two or three columns and look at the batch of words in one column on the current line, then hop directly to the next column, wrapping around when needed.
So rather than sliding your eyes slowly over every word, you instantly "hop" two or three times per line
At first I was “what?!” but actually it makes sence why so many people are willing and able to do so stupid shit.
Is it a reading thing? I was an avid reader then just stopped. I noticed when I picked up reading again it came back, kinda didn't realize I had lost it till then.
Wow... I had no idea there were THAT many public sector workers. 😉
NPCs just follow promts. They don't need internal dialogue.
So people just have no thoughts they speak in their heads
I’ve heard this before and think its made up
Could be - or at least could be over-reported. I didn't go down the rabbit hole completely, just had a quick google to try and corroborate.
Also some people don't remember their dreams. I have a hard time relating to that. Could be the same people.
I don’t remember dreams but definitely have an inner monologue. Not related.
are you not curious about what you dream of? To me it's some of the best entertainment in my life. sometimes I wake up from my own laughter 😅
I thought the same for a while but you definitely do you just gotta make it your goal to think about it as soon as you wake up. As you become an adult you start to wake up and instantly think about your responsibilities, so you start to think oh I don't remember my dreams anymore but really if you just think about it right away after waking up like you did as a kid you will remember it I guarantee you.
I have internal dialogue
I know 30-50% would love to enjoy the silence in their head for a few minutes.
It makes total sense to me.
Seems high to me. More than likely the 50-70% of ppl do have internal monologue, but have been unconsciously trained to ignore it
Wait, you're telling most ppl don't think in their heads?
OK nvm actually that tracks.
I came here to add exactly this thought to the topic. 👌
I heard this maybe 10 years ago and had a coworker that claimed she was one of them, but I still cannot comprehend it
I also have whole conversations of hypothetical situations, like what would I say if they said this etc.
This would explain why mainstream media still exists.
I just said to myself in my head “what’s an internal monologue?”
I’ve been having a conversation about this topic in my head.
Problem is I have multiple different personalities
So they argue a lot
Same! I'm just thinking to myself, what exactly do you mean when you say "internal monologue?" Like, does it have an auditory component or is it just thinking about words minus the sound they make?
Makes sense. They identify themselves by wearing masks inside their cars…
NPCs
silly, i have internal multilogue
I’ve never think about it. Oh my… reading you triggered mine 😅
1) What 👀
That Sam bankman freid kike definitely had am internal monologue
It was just fucked up
What do they have?
They see visual symbols in their heads but nothing audible. They have no "inner voice" but still have thoughts, they're just visible
Ah! that makes so much sense, because I can't see anything visible in my head, even if I try to imagine something "visual" I only can get the name of it.
Like when I think about seeing or visualizing an apple, all I can "see" is thinking of the word apple.
Though I have been training for years now to visualize things. I can now visualize a short 1-2 seconds video. almost like watching a video on your phone. but I can't hold it for longer than 1-2 seconds. yet.
Wait, does this mean we are the crazy ones? Shhh
Lol too real
Wow what are they thinking this is a concern Zobieifacation is here
It’s also called “Personal Narrative” ✨
Based on how people are self reporting here, that number seems way too high. I wonder if it's wrong (I'm pretty sure I've heard lower numbers in the past), if this self reporting nostr group is a statistically anomaly, or if there are other relationships which lead nostr, at present, to be a non-representatives group.
Actually 80 percent DOES have an internal monologue and 20 percent do not. But BOTH groups do not know the other group exists.
Why do you think so many people are controlled by the MSM monologue they’re fed constantly?
How do people read without internal monologue?
I think most people live monotonous lives so they’re basically on autopilot
Airheaded ?
I still don't grasp the concept of an internal monologue. Is it constant? Or is it just the ability to have a deductive logical conversation in the mind on demand?
I can do the latter, but I don't have some annoying voice always talking or narrating life. That would suck. Sounds inefficient too.
mine wont shut up
It blew my mind too when I first found out about this. It does explain a lot however, especially the proliferation of the NPC.
Me and Me and Me either.. 
Maybe they do have it but it's just speaking so softly that they aren't listening to it.
oh? curious, where do we get the source of this? This is the second time I heard this. I wonder where it came from and on what basis. ☺️
I am a therapist and sometimes I have to work on helping people develop the basics of being conscious awareness.
To be conscious means it is always like something to be you:
Take a table- it is not like anything to be a table.
So when I ask my clients “what was it like right now to. Remember that/say that/share that with your spouse, etc., and they tell me it was fine. I felt nothing.
I tell them you are not a table.
We want to get as far away from being a table on the consciousness spectrum as possible!
Some people have never had anyone help them to not be tables!
Tables also are not aware of their internal monologue. They just need a little help..people that is, not literal tables…of course. 🤓
love it. Trying to move away from being a table.
it reminds me of the phrasing Allen Farrington used in Wittgensteins money...
what would it seem like if it seemed like...
I will use that wording on some poor normie this week- I refer to normies as people who don’t do personal development for a living! And I mean it as a compliment to normies! They are much easier to make progress with!
Agreed. Sometimes 'Overthink' is a major obstacle to progress.
To paraphrase John o Donahue...
our inner selves need some mystery and shadow. they don't do well under the harsh spotlight.
Wait until you hear about aphantasia: https://stacker.news/items/631636/r/south_korea_ln
Equality is a lie
Most people are meant to be peasants and they sure do behave like cattle
Wow. That’s mad
Can that be true?
I thought we had 60k thoughts a day on average
Why would 50% of people not have any?
Maybe I am not understanding what you mean…
it's a crazy thought.
"Aaaaah. Silence." Said my brain never.
The concept that a significant portion of the population does not have an internal monologue has gained attention in recent years, partly due to a study by the psychologist Russell T. Hurlburt. Hurlburt, who has conducted substantial research into people's inner experiences, including their internal dialogues, used a technique called Descriptive Experience Sampling (DES) to explore this phenomenon.
Hurlburt's work, along with similar research, suggests that the presence of an internal monologue varies widely among individuals. Some people report having a constant verbal narrative in their heads, while others experience thinking in more abstract or sensory forms, like images or emotions rather than words. This suggests that 50-70% of people might either rarely or never experience the internal monologue as a continuous verbal stream. Instead, their thinking may involve non-verbal elements such as images, emotions, or pure, wordless concepts.
While there isn't one singular study that definitively claims "50-70% of people don't have an internal monologue," this figure is often cited based on broader survey-based research and anecdotal reporting. It's also connected to popular psychology and informal discussions that reveal how diverse mental experiences can be.
The DES method, used by Hurlburt, is particularly focused on capturing participants’ thoughts as they happen, using random beeps to prompt individuals to record their internal experiences. The findings revealed considerable diversity in inner experiences—some had frequent verbal monologues, while others did not. The method's data revealed that internal verbalization, or "talking to oneself," wasn't as ubiquitous as previously thought.
I couldn’t comprehend this either.
Then, i started to meditate.
Now, i am a meditation teacher.
❤️
yeah, it explains a whole hell of a lot hey?
How do they function? do they just blurt everything out loud?
Where's the source of this? Afaik it's much lower number (3-10%?)
😳 wtf
Those who use internal monologues exclusively are unable to have awareness of ideas, beliefs, feelings, states, that don’t have the words to express them in the language they know.
I don’t really know if this is true I just wanted to have a different take than, “the world is filled with NPCs”. maybe the NPCs are those that can only read their scripts.
The problem I have is many times, MY lips are moving while I am deep in discussion with myself. My wife calls me out and I laugh, when strangers do I simply say, "Do the voices inside my head bother you?"
And they run away...
...and if I openly discuss Bitcoin with anyone, they run away.
So, the moral here, is follow your own path and listen to your thoughts regardless what other people think, say, or feel.
Две трети популяции не ведут внутренний монолог, но в комментариях не нашлось ни одного такого человека.
nostr:note1hpljllan9vmmvf307xqnrx3l43e3h4xrz66g8pdcpveud9x8jktszcye2g
I'm curious where this data comes from that I haven't come across yet
I'm actively trying to put out that internal monologue to other people, I wanna be as open and direct as possible. not sure if that's the same thing though
Mine is often in different languages I’m learning. It’s like a drunken sailor who’s spent too much time at sea and on foreign excursions then returns home
🤣 Your external monologue isn't that different!
WTF , WILD
50-70% of the pop are NPCs
Wild right?? But once you start going about your day with this understanding things make a lot more sense.
The only question is what is b
This is why we’re all nuts 🌰
I often wondered how babies think before they learn language.
I'm sure it's like that.
Sauce cuz you be making this up, wtf 😯