Ooo if you are actually interested, the tradition of Chan Zen definitely has more to say than that. I see how Soto Zen may be seen that way with its intense focus on meditation. Also Soto Zen is way more known in the west than Chan.
Me neither. Well, sort of. I kinda have a dialogue in my head where I say what is on my mind while talking to another person. But even if get an internal monologue, it’s detached if that makes sense. It took me throughout my life to only realise recently that most people have internal monologues, and a lot of people don’t like it.
Studying the inner monologue, or lack thereof, is actually a newly emerging study. There is newly coined term for someone with little to no inner monologue but I forgot what it is called. Anyhow, a study found that those with little or no internal monologue tend to be forgetful, because they don’t repeat what they have to remember in their minds. Which explains a lot why I am forgetful.
The way I describe it, is that I can think of words, rather than thinking in words. So, like I could easily make up an internal dialogue, and and sort of mentally roleplay it in my head (though I also have aphantasia, so I even that’s not the way most people do it), but those words come after the intention to do it. This idea of “hearing” words in my head that I didn’t consciously will in to existence is completely foreign to me
You put words into my mouth (well, more like brain). I don’t hear inner voices.
I looked up aphantasia, and according to Wikipedia, it’s someone who can’t mentally visualise something. I have a wild imagination. But my case is that I don’t hear voices mentally, and my thoughts are quite impersonal even if I get inner dialogue or monologue. The lack of inner voice is called anauralia, which does not have its own Wikipedia page but tied to the entry on aphantasia.
I looked up aphantasia, and according to Wikipedia, it’s someone who can’t mentally visualise something.
Yep. I have that as well as no inner monologue!
While many “hear” the words in their mind when reading, people with anendophasia can process text more directly, grasping the meaning without the mediation of an internal voice.
That quote jumped out at me from the link in your post. I’ve been learning Spanish (slowly) for the last few years, and that really matches with how I’ve learned it. I’ve often described language as “sitting on top of” these mental concepts I have for things. I access the “concept” first and then find the word for it only if I need it. And learning Spanish hasn’t been about learning the English equivalent words, it’s been about attaching Spanish to my existing concept network. I translate Spanish to English by going back to the concepts and then finding the English words.
most people have internal monologues, and a lot of people don’t like it.
Imagine having someone who is constantly by your side all day and all night, they do not stop talking to you the entire time without stopping because they don’t need to breathe, now imagine that half of what they were saying was reminding you in intricate detail that one time you said that weird thing to that person, over and over and over, you can’t make it stop, it will stop when it is done, the other half is either the most bland and boring thoughts or some of the most bat shit crazy ideas.
Now imagine trying to have a conversation with a person who you really want to hear what they have to say, they say one random innocuous word which triggers that voice to go on a 5 minute rant about something else that has nothing to do with what that person was saying, you try to focus on the person you want to listen to, but the voice inside your head is exponentially louder than the other persons voice.
Now imagine you’re extremely tired, you need to get up early and you need to be rested, that annoying little fuck will sit there all night talking about how you need to sleep and how horrible it is you can’t sleep, but do you remember when you were 5 and you told that kid that really cringe thing, yeah thats what we’re gonna be talking about tonight…
I’d give anything to make that voice shut the fuck up for half an hour.
tfw you don’t have an internal monologue…
Yeah, I was honestly confused for a good while when I learned the concept of zen.
“Clear your mind.”
“Ok.”
“No, really, clear you mind.”
“I already said ok.”
Ooo if you are actually interested, the tradition of Chan Zen definitely has more to say than that. I see how Soto Zen may be seen that way with its intense focus on meditation. Also Soto Zen is way more known in the west than Chan.
Me neither. Well, sort of. I kinda have a dialogue in my head where I say what is on my mind while talking to another person. But even if get an internal monologue, it’s detached if that makes sense. It took me throughout my life to only realise recently that most people have internal monologues, and a lot of people don’t like it.
Studying the inner monologue, or lack thereof, is actually a newly emerging study. There is newly coined term for someone with little to no inner monologue but I forgot what it is called. Anyhow, a study found that those with little or no internal monologue tend to be forgetful, because they don’t repeat what they have to remember in their minds. Which explains a lot why I am forgetful.
The way I describe it, is that I can think of words, rather than thinking in words. So, like I could easily make up an internal dialogue, and and sort of mentally roleplay it in my head (though I also have aphantasia, so I even that’s not the way most people do it), but those words come after the intention to do it. This idea of “hearing” words in my head that I didn’t consciously will in to existence is completely foreign to me
You put words into my mouth (well, more like brain). I don’t hear inner voices.
I looked up aphantasia, and according to Wikipedia, it’s someone who can’t mentally visualise something. I have a wild imagination. But my case is that I don’t hear voices mentally, and my thoughts are quite impersonal even if I get inner dialogue or monologue. The lack of inner voice is called anauralia, which does not have its own Wikipedia page but tied to the entry on aphantasia.
Edit: I’m wrong again. Anauralia is someone who cannot mentally visualise based on sounda. Looks like the correct term I am looking for is anendophasia, or someone with no inner monologue or voice. https://psychologyfor.com/anendophasia-how-do-you-live-without-your-own-internal-mental-voice/
Yep. I have that as well as no inner monologue!
That quote jumped out at me from the link in your post. I’ve been learning Spanish (slowly) for the last few years, and that really matches with how I’ve learned it. I’ve often described language as “sitting on top of” these mental concepts I have for things. I access the “concept” first and then find the word for it only if I need it. And learning Spanish hasn’t been about learning the English equivalent words, it’s been about attaching Spanish to my existing concept network. I translate Spanish to English by going back to the concepts and then finding the English words.
My internal FM mostly plays music unless I’m thinking of something to say.
Imagine having someone who is constantly by your side all day and all night, they do not stop talking to you the entire time without stopping because they don’t need to breathe, now imagine that half of what they were saying was reminding you in intricate detail that one time you said that weird thing to that person, over and over and over, you can’t make it stop, it will stop when it is done, the other half is either the most bland and boring thoughts or some of the most bat shit crazy ideas.
Now imagine trying to have a conversation with a person who you really want to hear what they have to say, they say one random innocuous word which triggers that voice to go on a 5 minute rant about something else that has nothing to do with what that person was saying, you try to focus on the person you want to listen to, but the voice inside your head is exponentially louder than the other persons voice.
Now imagine you’re extremely tired, you need to get up early and you need to be rested, that annoying little fuck will sit there all night talking about how you need to sleep and how horrible it is you can’t sleep, but do you remember when you were 5 and you told that kid that really cringe thing, yeah thats what we’re gonna be talking about tonight…
I’d give anything to make that voice shut the fuck up for half an hour.
Just stop thinking about it man…