Inner voice

Everything to Know About Your Internal Monologue Is it universal? People without an internal monologue Purpose Examples Shift critical voice When to talk with a pro Takeaway Have you ever “heard” yourself talk in your head? If you have, then you’ve experienced a common phenomenon called an internal monologue. Also referred to as “internal dialogue,” “the voice inside your head,” or an “inner voice,” your internal monologue is the result of certain brain mechanisms that cause you to “hear” yourself talk in your head without actually speaking and forming sounds. While an internal monologue is a common occurrence, not everyone experiences it. There’s a lot that researchers have yet to uncover about why some people frequently “hear” an inner voice, and what it means. Read on to learn what’s been discovered about this psychological phenomenon thus far. Does everyone have one? The ability to have an internal monologue is thought to develop during childhood in what’s called “private speech.” As children acquire language skills, they learn to engage in internal commentary as they work independently or take turns during an activity. Childhood inner voices can also come in the form of imaginary friends. In adulthood, this same type of inner speech continues to support working memory along with other types of cognitive processes. It’s thought that internal monologue helps you complete everyday tasks, such as your job. Still, not everyone experiences an inner voice. You might have inner thoughts, but this doesn’t pose the same type of inner speech where you can “hear” your voice expressing them. It’s also possible to have both an inner voice and inner thoughts, where you experience them at intervals. What about people who don’t have an internal monologue? Researchers don’t fully understand why some people don’t have an inner voice. One 2019 review of research suggests an association between dorsal pathway maturation and the emergence of inner speech in children. The dorsal and ventral streams are language tracts in the brain. They’re also involved in auditory and visual processing. In childhood, the dorsal stream develops slower than the ventral stream. The emergence of inner speech is influenced by dorsal stream development. It’s unclear why some people don’t have an internal monologue, but researchers speculate it has to do with the way the dorsal stream matures, among other things. Not “hearing” your inner voice doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have an internal monologue, though, because some people access it visually instead of auditorily. For example, you might “see” do-to lists in your head but not be able to “hear” yourself think. People with a hearing impairment may experience their inner monologue through signs or images. If you find it difficult to picture voluntary images in your head at all, you may have what’s known as aphantasia. A 2021 studyTrusted Source indicates that people with aphantasia may also experience anaduralia, a term that’s now being used to describe the absence of auditory imagery — or the inner voice. Based on survey responses from self-reported aphantasics, a lack of internal monologue may co-occur with aphantasia. The researchers highlight the need for larger studies to untangle the overlap between the two. Why do we have an internal monologue? Internal monologue is thought to be partially controlled by corollary discharge, a type of brain signal. It helps you distinguish between different sensory experiences, such as those created internally or externally. Corollary discharge helps explain why your own voice sounds one way when you speak out loud and why it may sound different on a recording or to other people. Even if you don’t necessarily hear an inner voice, everyone experiences corollary discharge to some degree. It’s particularly relevant to your auditory system in the way you process hearing speech. An inner monologue can help you hear your own voice while canceling other external stimuli. It may also help you organize your thoughts during times you can’t speak out loud. You might ask yourself questions and work through the answers as a form of problem-solving. Auditory hallucinations Hearing your own inner voice isn’t itself harmful. But some forms of internal monologue can be related to auditory hallucinations, when you may believe you’re hearing voices that aren’t actually there. Auditory hallucinations are sometimes associated with certain mental health conditions such as schizophrenia as well as neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease. Your inner voice may also have negative effects if you primarily experience self-criticism regularly. Such negative “self-talk” can influence your overall mood and self-esteem. Examples of internal monologue The most common form of internal monologue is verbal — when you essentially “talk” to yourself. For example, you may talk to yourself about issues that are on your mind, or perhaps make internal lists of things you’d like to accomplish. Inner speech can help support working memory. You may also talk to yourself when you’re preparing a speech or a presentation, where you “play” what you’re going to say in your mind ahead of time. Another example is replaying instructions in your mind. An internal monologue may also come in the form of a conversation with yourself. For example, you might play out a conversation in your mind when you’re trying to solve a problem. Internal voices can also come in the form of having songs stuck in your head. Or perhaps you may replay a favorite movie or podcast in your mind. When you read a book, you might “hear” your own voice going over the words. How to shift to a less-critical inner voice If you’ve been told that you’re too hard on yourself, you may consider focusing on what your inner voice tells you. While occasional self-criticism is to be expected from time to time, a consistently critical inner voice isn’t considered healthy. A critical inner voice may develop during times of extreme stress. It’s also sometimes seen in mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression. In such cases, your mind may engage in negative self-talk by criticizing the way you work, socialize, participate in family circles, and more. While stopping negative self-talk isn’t as simple as turning off a switch, mindfully engaging in more positive self-talk can help override critical thoughts. For example, you may tell yourself short phrases throughout the day, such as, “I am worthy, I matter,” or, “I can do this.” Try one of these mantras (or one of your own) every time you start to hear negative self-talk. Regular meditation may also help manage a critical internal monologue. A meditation practitioner can teach you how to dismiss negative thoughts that don’t serve you well, while also creating more balance in your thought patterns. Writing out your feelings in a journal can help, too. When to talk with a professional In most cases, an internal monologue isn’t a cause for worry. However, if you continually experience critical self-thoughts, you may consider talking with a mental health professional. A mental health professional may use techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help you transform negative thoughts into positive ones. But if you experience an internal monologue connected with harming yourself, seek help from a mental health professional right away. Another cause for concern may be auditory hallucinations. If you suspect you or a loved one is experiencing these types of hallucinations, reach out to a physician for a health evaluation. While a doctor may likely prescribe medications, the exact treatment will vary depending on the underlying condition causing auditory hallucinations. The bottom line Internal monologue means more than just pondering over your own thoughts. It consists of inner speech, where you can “hear” your own voice play out phrases and conversations in your mind. This is a completely natural phenomenon. Some people might experience it more than others. It’s also possible not to experience internal monologue at all. While considered a natural process, some forms of inner speech could be cause for concern. This is especially true if your self-talk is regularly overcritical or you experience inner voices talking about harming yourself. It’s best to reach out to a mental health professional in such instances. Last medically reviewed on July 29, 2022 How we vetted this article: SOURCES HISTORY Share this article Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson, Ph.D., MSN, R.N., IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT — By Kristeen Cherney — Updated on July 29, 2022 Was this article helpful? Yes No Are You Kind to Yourself? Tracking Your Thoughts Might Surprise You It’s like I get to rewind the negative tape playing in my head. I get to rescript the narrator of my life. Illustrator: Brittany England I make an effort to be kind. I try to remember to pause and intentionally reflect on my words and actions, asking myself whether they’re of benefit to others. In general, this practice helps me to respond rather than react in everyday situations. If nothing else, it helps me be just a little bit nicer. This means that instead of getting upset when I’m on hold with the credit card company, for instance, I can take pause and remind myself that the person on the other end is just there to do their job. Rather than an obstacle to what I want, I can see that person as a three-dimensional human being. And it means that when someone cuts me off in traffic, I can remind myself that I don’t know what other people are going through. Maybe they had a stressful day at work, are caring for a sick family member, or just realized they’re late for an important meeting. It gives me the opportunity to practice compassion. I’m no Buddha — but I do my best. And I find that making this effort pays off. It helps me feel more connected to other people, more patient and understanding. The same isn’t true when it comes to myself. When I take the time to notice, I realize I have a lot of negative thoughts directed at myself. I’m often self-critical of how I interact with others, how I perform at work, or whether I am, indeed, succeeding at “adulting.” I’m critical of how I’m raising my son, my past choices, my future plans, how I’m executing my current phase of life. The list goes on and on. It’s a bit of a wonder that with all this self-criticism, I’m able to get anything done at all. Rewriting the script I first became fully aware of the automatic negative thought (ANT) phenomenon when my therapist made a friendly suggestion to begin writing down my thoughts. Just take a little notebook everywhere, she suggested, and see what comes up. So I did. It wasn’t pretty. It quickly became obvious that 75 percent of my thoughts were criticisms of myself or my behavior. The rest were somewhere on the spectrum of what train I had to catch, thinking about how chocolate sounds really good right now, daydreams about the future, or making plans for my Saturday. I realized that there’s some interesting weather going on in the biosphere of my head. The next step my therapist had me take, after I came back with my notebook full of ANTs, was to write responses to each and every one. Every time I had an ANT in my day, I wrote it down and immediately wrote a rebuttal. It would go something like this: ANT: “I messed up at work. I’m probably going to get fired.” Answer: “Mistakes happen. I do a good job and I’m valued by my team. I’ll do better next time” OR ANT: “My son really acted up today. I’m not a good mom.” Answer: “We all have bad days. You’re doing your best. He’s okay.” At first it seemed tedious, but I eventually came to really enjoy the process. I could feel the negative impact of each ANT, and feel the immediate sense of relief that came from writing down its counterpoint. It was like I got to rewind the negative tape playing in my head and record over it. I got to rescript the narrator of my life. For instance, when I took a new job in an entirely new field, I felt seriously out of my depth. My negative thoughts were going hard. Every time I made a mistake, I was afraid they would “find me out” and I would be fired. By tracking these thoughts, I was able to see how absurd and over the top most of them were. This freed me to focus on doing good work instead of on my inadequacies. Eventually, the negative thoughts about my performance subsided altogether. I felt confident and capable in my new role. My ANTs had been replaced by my positive responses. Digging deeper There’s an even more in-depth version of the ANT exercise called cognitive distortions. This version uses labels like “catastrophizing,” “all-or-nothing thinking,” and “diminishing the positive” to categorize each thought. Using these labels helps you identify what kind of thought you’re having and see clearly that it isn’t connected to reality. When I’m feeling down or upset and that emotional lens is coloring my thinking, I can identify that my thoughts are actually influenced by emotional reasoning, one of the cognitive distortion categories. For example, if I believed I did badly in a presentation, I might feel that all of my work for the rest of the week was sub-par. Yet after receiving positive feedback from my manager come Monday, I could see that my opinion of my work was being shaped by emotional reasoning. I felt I had performed poorly, so assumed that it must be the truth — when in fact it wasn’t. Identifying thought patterns helps me to see that I can’t change what’s happening, so there’s no use stressing over it. For instance, if a friend cancels our plans I might decide, “Oh great, I bet she doesn’t want to hang out with me anyway.” Placing blame on myself over something outside my control is personalizing. I can catch myself and acknowledge that my friend probably has a lot going on. Her reasons for canceling likely don’t have anything to do with me. Don’t get me wrong — this isn’t always easy to do. Emotional charge is a real thing, and changing our reactions into intentional responses requires a lot of discipline, repetition, and commitment. But even just reflecting on what kind of thoughts we’re having can start the momentum in the right direction. 5 steps to track your thoughts If you want to track your thoughts, all you’ll need is a notebook and pen. You can also track your thoughts on a spreadsheet if you’re the techy type. You’ll want to record several factors to make the most of the exercise: What’s the time of day? What triggered the thought? An experience, location, behavior, or person? How did the thought make you feel? Rate the intensity from 1–5. What kind of cognitive distortion is the thought? You can find a complete list here. How can you reframe the thought? Come up with a kinder thought and write it down. That’s it! You can do this as often as you’d like throughout the day. Writing it down gives the new thought power, so don’t skip this step until you’re seasoned. With enough practice, you’ll train yourself to automatically reframe negative thoughts without blinking. What tracking my thoughts taught me The greatest benefit I got from tracking my thoughts was the realization that I don’t have to passively accept everything I think. I can challenge my own thoughts, assumptions, and habitual ways of thinking. Instead of thinking a negative thought and taking it as fact, I can pause and decide whether I choose to validate that thought. This is seriously empowering, because it means that I am in charge of my own reality. “THE MIND IS A WONDERFUL SERVANT, BUT A TERRIBLE MASTER.” — Robin Sharma Our mind is a great tool that can be extremely useful. It helps us make important decisions, contains the seeds of creativity, and allows us to engage in countless complex tasks on an everyday basis. But when the mind runs the show, it can really be a downer. Thought tracking helps me take my mind off autopilot and get in the driver’s seat of my thinking. It makes me more intentional, deliberate, and conscious so that I can respond to each circumstance from a place of awareness rather than habit. When I commit to the practice of tracking my thoughts, I see a huge lift in my mood and confidence. My behavior is more in line with who I want to be, and it gives me a sense of autonomy. This simple technique gives me a choice in how to feel, think, be, and act in the world.