Do you hear your own audible voice when you think?

[Chesterton]

Yes, this is fascinating to me. I imagine people *always* hear their audible voice conversing with them about minutia and serious things.

This thread is freaking me out.

 

[pleinmont]

This thread is freaking me out.

Why?

 

[Chesterton]

Why?

Because the thought of hearing your own voice, or hearing anything while thinking seems very weird to me because there's no external stimulus.

 

[Kaon]

Because the thought of hearing your own voice, or hearing anything while thinking seems very weird to me because there's no external stimulus.

What if the stimuli are internal?

 

[Chesterton]

What if the stimuli are internal?

But the brain doesn't have vocal cords, tongue, lips and air, you know, the stuff that's needed to produce human voice.

 

[RaymondG]

Because the thought of hearing your own voice, or hearing anything while thinking seems very weird to me because there's no external stimulus.

And I cant even imagine not being able to "hear" a thought. How can one internalize something that isnt heard? I can visualize the picture.....but I need to say something about it!

Maybe we have different views on hearing? It is not a voice like you would hear through the outside ear..... it is inner hearing.....which can be just as loud.... e.g I can sing loudly or softly in my head.

I am a musician who plays by ear...and I often sing inside and match the tone with what I hear with the outside ear..

It sounds strange to read it.....but, until now, it could only be described as "normal life" to me. I cant imagine anyone not being able to do this.

 

[RaymondG]

But the brain doesn't have vocal cords, tongue, lips and air, you know, the stuff that's needed to produce human voice.

True..... which made me contemplate a few time, who is doing the hearing, and how is the hearing heard.... I've posed this question to many, and have never heard anyone say that they cant hear in their minds....

 

[Pavel Mosko]

A colleague of mine was amazed at something she just found out. I had never heard of it either.
What she read was that some people, when they are thinking, hear their own voice, audibly just like they are actually talking. They can look in the mirror and have an internal conversation with themselves... while hearing their voice.

This colleague, and others so we have found, do just that. They were baffled that myself and others could think and make decisions in the silence of our mind.

So, are you one who can think and have thoughts in silence... Or... do you hear your own voice in a audible dialog?

LOL I hear myself typically when I read. But when I try to do things like compose an essay, blog post or other creative work, I find the voice and style tends to be based on various You-tube pundits that I listen too (that I find inspiring etc.)

A long time ago, when I took a college level English class on essay writing, it was recommended to improve your writing to do lots of reading of various books, articles etc. That we unconsciously pick up syntax, grammar, vocabulary etc. from that and it helps us unconsciously improve our writing. Well the same thing goes with hearing lectures etc. And that makes sense because when I studied psychology, one of the things I learned was that silent reading is essentially "internalized speech". When you read silently, your vocal cords vibrate very slightly and the ability to do that is a learned skill (young children have to read everything out loud initially). Anyway all these cognitive functions are all tied together and inter-related.

 

[Chesterton]

And I cant even imagine not being able to "hear" a thought. How can one internalize something that isnt heard? I can visualize the picture.....but I need to say something about it!

Maybe we have different views on hearing? It is not a voice like you would hear through the outside ear..... it is inner hearing.....which can be just as loud.... e.g I can sing loudly or softly in my head.

I am a musician who plays by ear...and I often sing inside and match the tone with what I hear with the outside ear..

It sounds strange to read it.....but, until now, it could only be described as "normal life" to me. I cant imagine anyone not being able to do this.

How can you listen to a person speak, and think about what they're saying at the same time? It seems it would be like listening to two people speak simultaneously, and get confused.

And say you are in the vicinity of loud noise, like a worker using a jackhammer. Do you have to "think louder" to keep thinking?

 

[JacksBratt]

I only hear my voice if I am talking aloud.

Me too.

 

[JacksBratt]

It is an interesting topic, the human brain and how it functions.....

Amazing answers and both sides equally boggled by the other..

 

[RaymondG]

How can you listen to a person speak, and think about what they're saying at the same time? It seems it would be like listening to two people speak simultaneously, and get confused.

Yes it does get confusing. This is why some daydream or can sit through a lecture and retain nothing from it. They are talking in their minds and the talking leads to more talking which leads to a daydream or lack of hearing and attention to the speaker.

The speaker needs to be entertaining to grasp the full attention of the audience for long periods of time.

Those to preach meditation call this the monkey mind......It is talking that leads to more talking that can continue indefinitely if not controlled and focused.

One who can silence the mind for long periods of time are considered well trained and conditioned to do so.....and this is not normal.

And say you are in the vicinity of loud noise, like a worker using a jackhammer. Do you have to "think louder" to keep thinking?

The inner voice always take precedence.....It's lowest level is always louder than the loudest outside noise.

Let me ask you a question...... Are you able to Pray in your mind? If so, how does that go being that you dont hear what you are "saying."

Also, "keeping your mind stayed on Jesus"....what is this like for you? Are this looking at a picture in your mind?

 

[RaymondG]

When you read a book or even these posts, whose voice do you hear? I do not hear a voice.
It is a "toneless" "inflection-less" sounding "voice." Just words.

Ok so you are saying that you do hear the words you read.....it just isnt your own voice tone.......but you do speak/read in your head..

 

[Nithavela]

 

[Kaon]

But the brain doesn't have vocal cords, tongue, lips and air, you know, the stuff that's needed to produce human voice.

That is what we believe is needed based on academics. Academic science is one facet of scientia, or knowledge - and it is flawed at best.

For example, uncovering how people can hear themselves, and converse with themselves could help us explain the origin of psionic phenomena. But, by academic standards psionic ability is not real - which, unfortunately

1) wastes time, since the science will change when the paradigms change (~500 yeara from nexus) anyway, and the incredulity could have been put aside to entertain something we later find was real

2) blinds one to the multi-faceted reality in which we exist by default.

We don't even know how anesthetics work; we just know they work. We have a lot to learn about these vessels before we assume we know them.


Of course, this is all excluding the facet of reality called spirituality. In other words, some people are oppressed by spirits and they hear voices, some may have an ability to converse with themselves for defensive and offensive reasons, some have silent minds because they are at peace, etc.

The only thing, physically, needed to make sound is RADIO WAVES, MEDIUM and a RECEIVER. You have a medium and receiver in your mind/brain already; with the right excitation you can produce radio waves - or receive them - which will turn vibrations into sound.

 

[RaymondG]

So those who cant hear and speak in their mind have a damaged lope?

 

[Nithavela]

So those who cant hear and speak in their mind have a damaged lope?

I don't know. Maybe their right brain hemisphere just doesn't have a lot to say.

Personally, I suggest you and you should meet on neutral ground. Just turn your TV to static or C-Span.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

Ok so you are saying that you do hear the words you read.....it just isnt your own voice tone.......but you do speak/read in your head..

Yeah... I would have to say it is a nondescript voice. It is male, even if the person in the book is female. It is adult, even if the person in the book is a child. The syntax, I suppose, is my own. But I would say it does not have the tonal quantities of my voice. Stephen Pinker has some interesting thoughts in his books about language and speech.
A good follow up question would be: What voice does a mute person hear in their head when they think?
But my big question is this: Does your speaking voice sound like the voice you hear in your thoughts? My does not. Like I said above. I was shocked the first time I heard my voice on a recording. Really surprised. I had no idea what I really sounded like! If my voice sounded like my thought voice... I would not have been surprised.
Hmmmm?

 

[RaymondG]

I don't know. Maybe their right brain hemisphere just doesn't have a lot to say.

Personally, I suggest you and you should meet on neutral ground. Just turn your TV to static or C-Span.

Or maybe they are implementing natural protection against mind readers. If you arent saying anything, nothing can be heard.

There are those on the spiritual path who view the combining of both sides of the brain to be a great spiritual accomplishment to be attained. I will now see this as "Turning to C-Span"

 

[Nithavela]

Or maybe they are implementing natural protection against mind readers. If you arent saying anything, nothing can be heard.

There are those on the spiritual path who view the combining up both sides of the brain to be a great spiritual accomplishment to be attained. I will not see this as "Turning to C-Span"

Okay, you get to turn to Church TV.

Meanwhile, I think it's a very elegant explanation for having two voices in your head. I'm still working on the other eight.