The concept that a significant portion of the population does not have an internal monologue has gained attention in recent years, partly due to a study by the psychologist Russell T. Hurlburt. Hurlburt, who has conducted substantial research into people's inner experiences, including their internal dialogues, used a technique called Descriptive Experience Sampling (DES) to explore this phenomenon.
Hurlburt's work, along with similar research, suggests that the presence of an internal monologue varies widely among individuals. Some people report having a constant verbal narrative in their heads, while others experience thinking in more abstract or sensory forms, like images or emotions rather than words. This suggests that 50-70% of people might either rarely or never experience the internal monologue as a continuous verbal stream. Instead, their thinking may involve non-verbal elements such as images, emotions, or pure, wordless concepts.
While there isn't one singular study that definitively claims "50-70% of people don't have an internal monologue," this figure is often cited based on broader survey-based research and anecdotal reporting. It's also connected to popular psychology and informal discussions that reveal how diverse mental experiences can be.
The DES method, used by Hurlburt, is particularly focused on capturing participants’ thoughts as they happen, using random beeps to prompt individuals to record their internal experiences. The findings revealed considerable diversity in inner experiences—some had frequent verbal monologues, while others did not. The method's data revealed that internal verbalization, or "talking to oneself," wasn't as ubiquitous as previously thought.
Bitcoin Wizard 🧙🏻‍♂️
npub176…k2zh2
2024-10-07 07:43:32
in reply to nevent1q…8gtn
Author Public Key
npub176d9wmzh59lfv7yz2g9khtxn7uf47ny6h4xstpv9elr7l28zc6ts9k2zh2Published at
2024-10-07 07:43:32Event JSON
{
"id": "3d92a3579a91bd5e6eef51f3f1d7267cc35bf950ebb1355cb212ecfc7a75dbb1",
"pubkey": "f69a576c57a17e967882520b6bacd3f7135f4c9abd4d058585cfc7efa8e2c697",
"created_at": 1728287012,
"kind": 1,
"tags": [
[
"e",
"b87f2fffb32b37b6262ff181319a3fac731bd4c316b48385b80b33c694c79597",
"wss://relay.primal.net",
"root"
],
[
"p",
"1739d937dc8c0c7370aa27585938c119e25c41f6c441a5d34c6d38503e3136ef"
]
],
"content": "The concept that a significant portion of the population does not have an internal monologue has gained attention in recent years, partly due to a study by the psychologist Russell T. Hurlburt. Hurlburt, who has conducted substantial research into people's inner experiences, including their internal dialogues, used a technique called Descriptive Experience Sampling (DES) to explore this phenomenon.\n\nHurlburt's work, along with similar research, suggests that the presence of an internal monologue varies widely among individuals. Some people report having a constant verbal narrative in their heads, while others experience thinking in more abstract or sensory forms, like images or emotions rather than words. This suggests that 50-70% of people might either rarely or never experience the internal monologue as a continuous verbal stream. Instead, their thinking may involve non-verbal elements such as images, emotions, or pure, wordless concepts.\n\nWhile there isn't one singular study that definitively claims \"50-70% of people don't have an internal monologue,\" this figure is often cited based on broader survey-based research and anecdotal reporting. It's also connected to popular psychology and informal discussions that reveal how diverse mental experiences can be.\n\nThe DES method, used by Hurlburt, is particularly focused on capturing participants’ thoughts as they happen, using random beeps to prompt individuals to record their internal experiences. The findings revealed considerable diversity in inner experiences—some had frequent verbal monologues, while others did not. The method's data revealed that internal verbalization, or \"talking to oneself,\" wasn't as ubiquitous as previously thought.",
"sig": "8c3e8394f7e20fcfc6f1d30fae631bbfb78c58be27697b6c9270d4abac7b18b1f95067bae89284a90745857242761179509071422648fdc20b3525bf752e7ee5"
}