Was just discussing this with friends on social media.
I noticed a few things:
1. The question of whether your mind races with thoughts is separate from the question if whether you hear an internal monologue. Some of us have a lot of thoughts racing but they aren’t necessarily in the form of a coherent voice we hear in our heads.
2. Some of us do run through conversations or monologues in our heads sometimes, but we mouth the words or even say them out loud. (And by “some of us”, I mean me. My preschooler has caught me doing this several times already :) )
3. Raising the question of whether we have such a voice or not can influence whether we have it. As with everything, observing something changes the nature of what’s being observed.
I, for one, have many racing thoughts - and yes some of them verbal, if I’m preparing for a conversation with somebody - but others are more abstract or visual and spatial. For example, I can’t really make a decision with verbal sorts of thoughts. If I’m listing pros and cons, by the time I get to the end of one list I’ve forgotten the start of it... I think sometimes I need to imagine things more spatially to see them in my head at the same time.
Also - Somewhat related, I read awhile back that not everyone can visualize things in their head. Like, imagining something you’re inventing or haven’t seen before. This really surprised me! I can’t believe somebody CANT do that, maybe they just have a harder time doing it?
I, for one, have many racing thoughts - and yes some of them verbal, if I’m preparing for a conversation with somebody - but others are more abstract or visual and spatial. For example, I can’t really make a decision with verbal sorts of thoughts. If I’m listing pros and cons, by the time I get to the end of one list I’ve forgotten the start of it... I think sometimes I need to imagine things more spatially to see them in my head at the same time.
Also - Somewhat related, I read awhile back that not everyone can visualize things in their head. Like, imagining something you’re inventing or haven’t seen before. This really surprised me! I can’t believe somebody CANT do that, maybe they just have a harder time doing it?