What is the cause of our inner voice?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the nature and origin of the "inner voice" experienced during self-reflection and problem-solving. Participants explore various aspects of inner speech, including its cognitive and experiential components, as well as the neural mechanisms involved in auditory experiences related to inner dialogue.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants inquire about the origins of the inner voice, questioning whether it relates to cognitive content or the auditory experience of thinking.
  • One participant suggests that the experience of hearing one's inner voice is linked to neural activations in the brain's temporal cortex, which are similar to those activated during external auditory experiences.
  • Another participant raises the idea that inner speech could be akin to "sound bytes" stored in the brain, which are replayed during introspection.
  • Some participants express that they do not experience their inner monologue as auditory, emphasizing a distinction between thinking in words and hearing sounds.
  • There is a discussion about the phenomenon of "auditory images" versus actual sound, with participants seeking to clarify terminology related to inner speech.
  • One participant mentions the concept of telepathy in a speculative context, while others express skepticism about its feasibility.
  • Participants differentiate between inner speech and auditory hallucinations, noting that the latter can feel indistinguishable from real sounds, while inner speech is described as non-auditory.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views regarding the nature of their inner voice, with some agreeing on the cognitive aspects while others disagree on the auditory experience. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the definitions and experiences of inner speech and auditory phenomena.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the complexity of inner speech, noting that personal experiences vary widely. There are unresolved questions about the terminology used to describe these phenomena, and the discussion reflects differing interpretations of auditory experiences related to thought processes.

  • #31
Here is a funny thing to try:

One way to save time, the authors suggest, is to read more quickly. To do that they firstly suggest reading without using your inner voice.

"When we first learned to read we were encouraged to speak the words aloud so that our teacher could check that we'd got each one right before we moved on. As we mature, we internalise that voice, so we still hear it in our heads. But this inner voice is not necessary in our reading; in fact it reduces our reading speed to around talking speed..."
http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2006/03/can_you_read_without.html

I tried it but its very hard.
 
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  • #32
Does anyone here have the tendency to 'think' in another fashion other than words very regularly? I've heard of people whose thoughts are predominantly mathematical. I'm sure that musicians probably tend to think in other sound terms that speech when they are playing or composing but how often do they think of other things in such terms? Do they 'hear' music in correspondance with emotions and certain sorts of thoughts?
 
  • #33
PIT2 said:
Here is a funny thing to try:

...

I tried it but its very hard.
I've never thought about it before, the connection with the "inner voice" to reading speed. When I read— sometimes I go into overdrive, its funny. I read so fast, that my inner voice does not have time to say it. Sometimes, I find it lagging behind, like its going at 10 mph, while my reading speed is going at 15 mph. Sometimes I read without my inner voice.
 

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