Stigma still surrounds any mental health topic, so people may worry about giving psychologists the wrong impression regarding voices in their heads. Also, they might not be completely aware that they have an inner monologue because it’s not always a fully conscious experience - or it may embarrass them. Brinthaupt has a few theories as to why people self-report never engaging in self-talk or inner dialogue.įor one, it’s possible that survey participants don’t fully understand what psychologists mean when they ask them whether they have inner voices, Brinthaupt says. “Is it even possible not to talk to yourself? That almost sounds like the same as not thinking to me,” he says. Herein lies the difficulty with properly understanding inner voices, says Thomas Brinthaupt, a personality psychologist at Middle Tennessee State University.īrinthaupt doubts survey responses in which people say they don’t have an inner voice, and he suspects a problem with questionnaire formats. Scientists usually study inner speech by asking people about their experiences, either in the form of in-depth interviews and case studies or more far-reaching surveys. The Challenge With Studying Inner Conversations For example, if someone can’t forgive or forget because they’re constantly playing arguments over and over,” Honeycutt says. That said, you can have too much of a good thing. “Imagined interactions are essentially a component of daydreaming,” says Honeycutt. Inner dialogue occurs more subconsciously. To be clear, Honeycutt isn’t talking about routine preparation for a presentation when you might run through your slides, time yourself and check the facts. Even if things don’t go according to plan, they can better adapt to that.” “They can also be at an advantage in the workplace because they often rehearse things like presentations or negotiations, so they’re better prepared. “People who imagine dialogue are associated with having better relationships and greater empathy,” he says. Self-contained talk, overall, can help us accomplish mental goals like planning and problem solving. These “imagined interactions,” as inner dialogues are sometimes called, are probably a good thing, explains James Honeycutt, a psychologist at the University of Texas at Dallas. A person may imagine themselves speaking with someone else - either remembering a previous, real-life social interaction (such as a frustrating argument) or a totally fictional exchange (what you might say if you met your hero, for example).Įxperts think it may be possible that not everyone has an inner dialogue, or that some people report it far more than others. It’s often composed of longer, whole sentences coupled with an interplay between several characters. Inner dialogue, meanwhile, is a lot more complicated. Our use of self-talk can vary for example, people with autism tend to think more visually when planning for the future. It can also be as basic as one word, like a particular four-letter one that pops up when you stub your toe. For example, you might mentally vocalize things like “don’t forget to buy the milk” when compiling a shopping list. Essentially, it’s the voice you hear when talking to yourself in your head. Are Imagined Interactions Universal?Īs for inner monologues, most people have them. Although philosophers have discussed the concept of an inner voice for centuries, it wasn’t until the 1990s and early 2000s that formal psychological descriptions began to emerge. The psychological phenomenon in which a person imagines hearing a voice in their head can be split into two categories: inner monologue and inner dialogue. If you’re the kind of person who often relives an argument - dredging up all the insults that were levied at you while imagining all the comebacks you should’ve unleashed but didn’t - then rest assured, this ability may help you to think more creatively and experience more fulfilling social interactions.