Does Everyone Have an Inner Monologue?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat It IsIts PrevalenceThinking Without OneWhy It May Be LackingPros and Cons

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What It Is

Its Prevalence

Thinking Without One

Why It May Be Lacking

Pros and Cons

Close

As you read this, you may hear the words “spoken” in your head. That little voice is your inner monologue, also referred to as your inner voice, inner speech, oryour self-talk. Research has shown a great deal of variation in how often people experience their inner monologue, with some people not having this experience at all.

Keep reading to learn more about what an inner monologue is and its prevalence (spoiler: researchers disagree on this topic). We also explore how people without an inner monologue think. Finally, we examine why some people may lack an inner voice, along with the pros and cons of both having it and not.

What Is an Inner Monologue?

Many people’s internal experience includes a verbal quality that comes across as a monologue. This inner monologue uses language, but the individual doesn’t need to move their mouth or be heard to form the words that are central to it.

This private speech is addressed only to ourselves and is something we feel like we can “hear.” One’s inner monologue is complete with tone and inflection, even though it’s not audible.

Children typically develop an inner monologue around the age of 2 or 3, in conjunction with the development of expressive language, which includes both verbal andnonverbal communication.

Inner Speech Dimensions

Research has indicated there are three dimensions to inner speech:

How Prevalent Are Inner Monologues?

This is a question without a concrete answer. The reason is because inner monologues are extremely difficult to study. After all, no one can peer into another person’s mind and see exactly what and how they’re thinking.

As a result, researchers have come up with different ways to study inner monologues.Some of these have includedself-report surveysandexperience sampling. In the latter, research participants are asked to keep diaries or take part in interviews in order to provide open-ended data about their inner experiences.

In short, these different ways of investigating inner monologues have led to inconsistent results. As a result, researchers have come up with different answers to the question of how prevalent they really are.

Some scholars have suggested that everyone has an inner monologue, and it never stops during waking hours.Others posit that some people lack an inner speech, adding that even people who do have this experience vary widely in terms of frequency throughout the day.

Discrepancies in Prevalence

For example, Hurlburt estimates that between 30% and 50% of people frequently experience an inner monologue.His research using Descriptive Experience Sampling has indicated that most people don’t experience their inner monologue all the time, and many go through large parts of their days without experiencing it at all.

On the other hand, researchers using differentresearch methodshave concluded that the frequency of inner speech is much higher. One study suggests that people experience it 75% of the time.

How Do People Without an Inner Monologue Think?

For those who have an inner monologue, it can be hard to understandhow people thinkwhen they don’t have this experience. However, research has shown people generally think in five different ways, only one of which involves an inner monologue.

Those ways of thinking are:

Some people may think in all five of these ways, while others may be limited to one or two. As a result, people without an inner monologue are likely to be thinking in one or more ways that don’t involve inner speech.

Why Do Some People Lack an Inner Monologue?

Research on why some people lack an inner monologue is in its infancy and, therefore, there are no firm answers to the question of why some people may not experience this phenomenon. One study found thatpeople with aphantasia, an inability to see visual imagery in one’s mind, also had weak or completely absent inner monologues, which the researchers labeled anauralia.

The opposite was also true, with people who could conjure vivid visual imagery also tending to experience a vivid inner monologue. However, more research is needed to understand why the inability to seevisual imagerywould impact whether one has an inner monologue and vice versa.

Pros and Cons of an Inner Monologue

An inner monologue has been found to have benefits across a wide range of domains, including planning, problem-solving, self-regulation,self-reflection,emotion regulation, and perspective-taking.One’s inner monologue can also be a source of motivation, instruction, and positive self-reinforcement.

On the other hand, for some people, self-criticism is a regular feature of their inner monologue. This is a major drawback of inner monologues, and studies have found critical self-talk is associated withlower self-esteemand more frequentautomatic negative statementsabout the self.

The other ways of thinking that don’t involve an inner monologue, outlined above, likely have benefits and drawbacks as well. However, more research is necessary to understand what they may be.

What Is the Meaning of the ‘Inner Self’?

12 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Nedergaard JSK, Lupyan G.Not everybody has an inner voice: Behavioral consequences of anendophasia.Psycholog Sci. 2024. doi:10.1177/0956797624123004

Alderson-Day B, Fernyhough C.Inner speech: Development, cognitive functions, phenomenology, and neurobiology.Psychol Bull. 2015;141(5):931-965. doi:10.1037/bul0000021

Coffey D.Does everyone have an inner monologue?Live Science.

Grandchamp R, Rapin L, Perrone-Bertolotti M, et al.The ConDialInt model: Condensation, dialogality, and intentionality dimensions of inner speech within a hierarchical predictive control framework.Front Psychol. 2019;10:2019. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02019

Hurlburt RT.Descriptive experience sampling.The Blackwell Companion to Consciousness, Second Edition. 2017. doi:10.1002/9781119132363.ch52

Hurlburt RT, Heavey CL, Kelsey JM.Toward a phenomenology of inner speaking.Conscious Cogn. 2013;22(4):1477-1494. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2013.10.003

Soloducha A.What it’s like living without an inner monologue.CBC News.

Hinwar RP, Lambert AJ.Anauralia: The silent mind and its association With aphantasia.Front Psychol. 2021;12:744213. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.744213

Oleś PK, Brinthaupt TM, Dier R, Polak D.Types of inner dialogues and functions of self-talk: Comparisons and implications.Front Psychol. 2020;11:227. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00227

Shi X, Brinthaupt TM, McCree M.The relationship of self-talk frequency to communication apprehension and public speaking anxiety.Personal Indiv Diff. 2015;75:125-129. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2014.11.023

Thibodeaux J, Winsler A.What do youth tennis athletes say to themselves? Observed and self-reported self-talk on the court.Psychol Sport Exerc. 2018;38:126-136. doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.06.006

Meet Our Review Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

What is your feedback?