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What's going on in the minds?

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
So why don't some people have inner speech? Studies show that producing inner speech requires a network of brain activity spanning from the frontal lobe to auditory cortex, which is located near your ears.

These networks are the same as those used when we speak aloud (which also requires motor cortex, because we need to move our tongue, lips, etc.).

One theory proposes that people who do not produce inner speech are unable to activate those networks without also activating their motor cortex.

Another theory is poor introspection, which refers to a person's ability to examine their own mental processes.

According to this theory, everyone produces inner speech, but some people are conscious of it whereas others are not.

Or maybe we're thinking about this the wrong way. Maybe it is possible that the absence of inner speech is the brain's default setting (do human infants, or animals, have inner speech?), and there might be something unusual about people who do have it.

Regardless, there might be a silver lining to not being able to produce inner speech.

For instance, inner speech might help us to solve problems, but it can also put us down, which can lead to the development of anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and many other forms of mental illness.
A viral article has split us into two different ways of thinking. This is the science behind it

I thought this quite interesting. I heard somewhere in the grapevine that because thought process (hearing the inner voice) can't be explained, it "must be" from god. Similiar to if we can't "see" the origin of the universe, it "must be" from god.

The website isn't scientific; so, don't expect it to be so.
 

Howard Is

Lucky Mud
Some things I just can’t understand.

Time, space, energy, awareness and the voice(s) in my head are the most mysterious.

I really don’t have a clue about any of them.

And I don’t think anybody does.
 

MonkeyFire

Well-Known Member
Ecc 10:20 Don't insult the king, not even in your thoughts; and don't insult the wealthy, not even in your bedroom; for a bird in the air might carry the news, a creature with wings might repeat what you said.
 

Mock Turtle

Oh my, did I say that!
Premium Member
Perhaps related to how much reading one does as a child - awakening such an inner voice? Anyway, at college once, our lecturer asked if any of us could visualise in colour rather than in black and white, which I could do then but many apparently couldn't. What did this mean?
 
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Howard Is

Lucky Mud
I can now visualise in fully realistic colour 3D. I know when that function is available, because I see a photorealistic image of raindrops hitting water. That image first appeared during a ten day vipassana retreat in 1992. Years later (2005), I developed the capacity to visualise photorealistic colour movies. There is one important detail about what may have triggered it, but Rule 6 prevents me saying more. The world is missing out on a lot of very cool information, what with the global War on Intelligence we’re having.

Just say no to everything you weren’t told to say yes to, m’kay ?
 

paarsurrey

Veteran Member
What's going on in the minds?

G-d tell us something about it:
[50:17]وَ لَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا الۡاِنۡسَانَ وَ نَعۡلَمُ مَا تُوَسۡوِسُ بِہٖ نَفۡسُہٗ ۚۖ وَ نَحۡنُ اَقۡرَبُ اِلَیۡہِ مِنۡ حَبۡلِ الۡوَرِیۡدِ ﴿۱۷﴾
And assuredly, We have created man and We know what his physical self whispers to him, and We are nearer to him than even his jugular vein.
The Holy Quran - Chapter: 50: Qaf
Does it help?

Regards
 

Invisibilis

Member
What's going on in the minds?
Most of the time it is a form of exploitation for one's self-identity. Seeking answers to wants and needs to feel valid and okay.
 

Polymath257

Think & Care
Staff member
Premium Member
Perhaps related to how much reading one does as a child - awakening such an inner voice? Anyway, at college once, our lecturer asked if any of us could visualise in colour rather than in black and white, which I could do then but many apparently couldn't. What did this mean?


I don't visualize at all except very dim outlines, at most. Even to call them black and white would be a stretch.

Inner speech is an on-and-off thing for me. I can have periods of time with no inner speech at all. And, then I can have periods where I have a dialog with myself about some concept, or how to intuit something.
 

PureX

Veteran Member
My only comment would be to beware of confusing the mechanics with the results.

If I were to take some mind-altering drug and experience God, the mechanics of the drug does not invalidate my experience of God. (Nor validate it.) The point being that we too often assume that because we discovered the mechanisms that enable cognitive (metaphysical) experience, we have somehow invalidated the truth of the experience. And in so doing we invalidate our own humanity. I think this would be a VERY dangerous path for we humans to walk.
 

Mock Turtle

Oh my, did I say that!
Premium Member
I don't visualize at all except very dim outlines, at most. Even to call them black and white would be a stretch.

Inner speech is an on-and-off thing for me. I can have periods of time with no inner speech at all. And, then I can have periods where I have a dialog with myself about some concept, or how to intuit something.

Can you not visualise the faces of people - and perhaps from the past? I've found that when I think of shopping at about age nine I can still visualise the lady serving, since she had such a striking face. My inner speech these days mainly gets forgotten before I get the chance to write it down. :oops:
 

Polymath257

Think & Care
Staff member
Premium Member
Can you not visualise the faces of people - and perhaps from the past? I've found that when I think of shopping at about age nine I can still visualise the lady serving, since she had such a striking face. My inner speech these days mainly gets forgotten before I get the chance to write it down. :oops:

When I think about someone in the past, I am more likely to get a 'feeling' for them, maybe their tone of voice, or the feeling from an expression they made.

No, I do not see their face.

When I was in elementary school, there was a day when the teacher was talking about imagination and how we see pictures of the things we imagine. I got very upset because NOTHING like that had ever happened to me. I thought I simply had no imagination. And, in a sense, I do not. I don't *image* what I am thinking about. I get more bodily sensations of how I would relate to whatever I am 'imagining'.

One of the curious things is that I have pretty good geometric intuition. I can even 'visualize' four dimensional objects. I don't actually have a 'picture'. It's more proprioceptive, but it is good enough to do math. :)
 

Mock Turtle

Oh my, did I say that!
Premium Member
When I think about someone in the past, I am more likely to get a 'feeling' for them, maybe their tone of voice, or the feeling from an expression they made.

No, I do not see their face.

When I was in elementary school, there was a day when the teacher was talking about imagination and how we see pictures of the things we imagine. I got very upset because NOTHING like that had ever happened to me. I thought I simply had no imagination. And, in a sense, I do not. I don't *image* what I am thinking about. I get more bodily sensations of how I would relate to whatever I am 'imagining'.

One of the curious things is that I have pretty good geometric intuition. I can even 'visualize' four dimensional objects. I don't actually have a 'picture'. It's more proprioceptive, but it is good enough to do math. :)

A bit weird how we all seem to differ in this respect. I've never looked into it at all and have not come across anything explaining any differences.
 

Polymath257

Think & Care
Staff member
Premium Member
A bit weird how we all seem to differ in this respect. I've never looked into it at all and have not come across anything explaining any differences.

I've often wondered if this has a bearing on God belief. If someone is prone to hear distinct voices and see images as part of their imagination, does that impact the likelihood of God-belief?

I listened to a podcast recently where someone, who was a fan of Cher, started hearing Cher's voice giving her advice. It wasn't clear if she actually believed Cher was giving her advice, but is it possible those who 'hear God' have something similar going on?

Just putting it out there.
 

Polymath257

Think & Care
Staff member
Premium Member
My only comment would be to beware of confusing the mechanics with the results.

If I were to take some mind-altering drug and experience God, the mechanics of the drug does not invalidate my experience of God. (Nor validate it.) The point being that we too often assume that because we discovered the mechanisms that enable cognitive (metaphysical) experience, we have somehow invalidated the truth of the experience. And in so doing we invalidate our own humanity. I think this would be a VERY dangerous path for we humans to walk.


OK, I disagree here. I think the mechanics *does* invalidate some versions of God belief.

At most, these show that humans have the capacity to have *very* different perceptions, but they also show that those perceptions can be *wrong*. And that small amounts of some chemicals can affect the brain to that extent, in my mind, just validates the idea that our thoughts and other mental processes are based in the material aspects of our brains.

The strength of the experiences, again in my view, show that very small changes to our physical brains can produce vivid illusions and feelings of 'importance' and 'meaning' that are, ultimately, the result of malfunctioning brains.
 

WhyIsThatSo

Well-Known Member
So why don't some people have inner speech? Studies show that producing inner speech requires a network of brain activity spanning from the frontal lobe to auditory cortex, which is located near your ears.


A viral article has split us into two different ways of thinking. This is the science behind it

I thought this quite interesting. I heard somewhere in the grapevine that because thought process (hearing the inner voice) can't be explained, it "must be" from god. Similiar to if we can't "see" the origin of the universe, it "must be" from god.

The website isn't scientific; so, don't expect it to be so.

There are TWO of "you"...
The "you" that is here now, the one you are physically aware of , is NOT the real "you".
The you here now is your "lower self" (referred to as "ego"). There is another "you", your "higher self"....your True Self.

I will now demonstrate to PROVE this is so...………….wait for it...………..wait for it...……..
THERE.…...do you see ?

no ?

Then who were you talking to while you were waiting...….if not YOUR "SELF" ?
 

PureX

Veteran Member
OK, I disagree here. I think the mechanics *does* invalidate some versions of God belief.
Only if you confuse the artifice that we humans use to help is conceptualize God with the personal experience of God. Which would be naive and illogical.
At most, these show that humans have the capacity to have *very* different perceptions, but they also show that those perceptions can be *wrong*. And that small amounts of some chemicals can affect the brain to that extent, in my mind, just validates the idea that our thoughts and other mental processes are based in the material aspects of our brains.
You think truth is material, and so can be validated or invalidated materially (as do all materialists). And it's not.
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Perhaps related to how much reading one does as a child - awakening such an inner voice? Anyway, at college once, our lecturer asked if any of us could visualise in colour rather than in black and white, which I could do then but many apparently couldn't. What did this mean?

You know, I never took it no mind we saw in black and white. Something new on me.
 

Mock Turtle

Oh my, did I say that!
Premium Member
I've often wondered if this has a bearing on God belief. If someone is prone to hear distinct voices and see images as part of their imagination, does that impact the likelihood of God-belief?

I listened to a podcast recently where someone, who was a fan of Cher, started hearing Cher's voice giving her advice. It wasn't clear if she actually believed Cher was giving her advice, but is it possible those who 'hear God' have something similar going on?

Just putting it out there.

Well, in my youth I probably was suffering from something - not sure what and it didn't really affect my life apart from making we rather introverted. One's inner voice can often be mistaken for something else and much later I did place any such voices into perspective - as often not being that helpful. Have never had even a remote belief in God or gods from early on but I'm a bit more open to such now even though I'm mostly an atheist still.
 

Polymath257

Think & Care
Staff member
Premium Member
Only if you confuse the artifice that we humans use to help is conceptualize God with the personal experience of God. Which would be naive and illogical.

I have no idea what you just said. I am saying that experience isn't always reality. Just because you *think* you experienced a God doesn't mean you actually did.

You think truth is material, and so can be validated or invalidated materially (as do all materialists). And it's not.

You say that so definitively. any proof of this?
 
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