Here’s What It’s Like To Not Have An Internal Monologue

Take a second to sit in silence. Is there chatter inside your head? Or is it relatively quiet in there? There’s a conversation making its way around TikTok about this inner voice — or lack thereof. Some people have a chatty internal monologue that narrates their life, while others have a quiet, serene inner landscape. The folks with the internal monologue simply can’t imagine not having one, and vice versa.

As someone with a very chatty inner monologue, I fall into the first group. My inner voice mulls over problems, narrates my day, assesses situations as they’re happening, pulls up funny memories from my past — and it’s always been that way. There’s me, the person who talks out loud, and then there’s the other me, aka the little voice that exists behind my eyeballs. My inner monologue is there while I work, hang out, exercise, and go about daily life, and I’m pretty OK with that. In fact, I don’t know what I’d do without her.

After seeing TikToks about internal monologues, I asked my friends if any of them have an ongoing conversation in their head, and I expected everyone to immediately agree. While half said they experience the chatter, the other half didn’t know what I was talking about and were equally shocked that I had an inner voice. We rapid-fire voice messaged back and forth in an attempt to understand each other’s opposite perspectives to no avail.

Turns out, it’s actually really tough to explain your inner experience to someone else, especially if they have the opposite way of thinking. This is why TikTok is asking the question: Does everyone have an internal monologue? Here’s what the experts say.

What’s It Like To Have An Internal Monologue?

An internal monologue — or narrative or inner voice — refers to the dialogue that runs through your brain, says Joni Ogle, LCSW, CSAT, a licensed clinical social worker.

“Having an inner monologue is like having a discussion with yourself inside your head,” she tells Bustle. It includes asking yourself questions, internally reacting to what other people say, and reflecting on experiences before, during, and after they occur. It also often coincides with vivid mental imagery, which can play out like a movie in your mind’s eye.

The inner voice is not just self-talk, says Dr. Felicia Pressley, LPC, a counselor and teen wellness expert. While it might include your opinions about yourself or the mantras you tell yourself to feel confident, it’s mostly a casual dialogue that isn’t necessarily positive or negative, she explains.

Those who have an inner monologue might also talk to themselves out loud as a way to verbally process something, to “hear” the words in their head as they read a novel, or to silently rehearse a conversation before having it. It’s essentially feeling hyper-aware of the inner workings of your mind.

What’s It Like To Not Have An Internal Monologue?

If you don’t have an inner monologue, then there’s no chatter in your head. A voice might show up sometimes as you mull over a problem, but for the most part, your mind is quiet. “It can feel like you aren’t thinking about anything,” Ogle explains.

Instead of experiencing a voiceover or narration as you go about your day, you simply take in information. A person without an inner monologue isn’t constantly imagining their next move in their head, Pressley adds. Instead, they just kind of do it.

For some, it feels like a blankness. On TikTok, creator @daniashleyy said if they were to close their eyes and think of an apple, they wouldn’t see it, unlike others who can picture a juicy red fruit. They also don’t hear a voice in their head when reading, though they said they do comprehend what they read.

It’s tough to perfectly explain each perspective — the human experience is complex, after all — but you’ll likely know which group you fall into after hearing about both. If you aren’t sure, pay attention to your thoughts. “If you find yourself talking in your head about what you’re doing or thinking, then it’s likely that you experience an inner monologue,” says Ogle.

Most People Don’t Have An Inner Monologue

If you’re wondering which experience is more common, research shows that most people don’t have an inner monologue. Only 30-50% of people have inner monologues, which means up to 70% of people don’t have a talkative brain.

The thing to keep in mind (no pun intended) is that it can vary from person to person, says Ogle, and your inner voice could become more or less intense throughout your life or depending on your mental state. If you’re super stressed, for instance, it’ll ramp up.

Another study found that it’s possible for people to experience a mixture of both inner speech and thought without words, Ogle explains. Sometimes the monologue is there, and other times it goes quiet.

Is It OK To Have An Internal Dialogue?

Neither way of thinking is wrong or bad, BTW. Pressley says it’s OK if you have an inner monologue, and also OK if you don’t. “It’s just the way some people process information and language,” she says.

The reasons why we all think differently are super science-y and complex, but they can be related to brain structure and personality. There’s also something called anauralia, or the absence of auditory imagery, which may explain a lack of inner voices, Ogle says. There’s also aphantasia, or the inability to picture something in your mind.

Personality also comes into play. “People who have inner monologues may be more [naturally] reflective, as they can consciously observe and examine their thoughts thoroughly,” says Pressley, “while people who don’t have inner monologues may be better at staying present at the moment without experiencing any distractions internally.”

Even though it doesn’t mean anything, it can still be helpful to become aware of your inner dialogue and how it affects you, Ogle says, as it can help you gain insight into yourself. Her tip? Try meditating as a way to get in touch with that tiny voice inside your head. By tapping in, you can make sure it isn’t caused by stress, and also get better at listening to yourself.

Studies referenced:

Hinwar, RP. (2021). Anauralia: The Silent Mind and Its Association With Aphantasia. Frontiers in Psychology. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.744213.

Keogh, R. (2021). Aphantasia: The science of visual imagery extremes. Handbook of Clinical Neurology. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-821377-3.00012-X.

Sources:

Joni Ogle, LCSW, CSAT, licensed clinical social worker, CEO of The Heights Treatment

Dr. Felicia Pressley, LPC, teen wellness expert, licensed professional counselor