Inner monologues are still a mystery
6/8/202614 min
Emily Kwong is pretty sure she lacks an inner monologue, while the inner monologue of producer Rachel Carlson won’t stop chatting. But how well can a person know their inner self? And what does science have to say about it? We dig in in this encore episode of Short Wave.
To learn more about Charles Fernyhough’s research on voice hearing, visit the project website.
If you liked this episode, check out our episode on when your brain is actually an "adult."
Interested in more science inside your brain? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
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Emily Kwong· Host0:16
[instrumental music] You're listening to Short Wave from NPR. Hey, Short Wavers. It's Emily Kwong.
Rachel Carlson· Host0:25
And Rachel Carlson, Short Wave producer. And Emily, I think it's pretty safe to say that both of us read the team inbox shortwave@npr.org.
Emily Kwong· Host0:33
Every morning fervently.
Rachel Carlson· Host0:34
Exactly. And- [laughs] ... two months ago you said something to reporter John Hamilton that really piqued our audience's interest. I don't have an inner monologue.
Jon Hamilton0:44
Not everybody has an inner monologue. This is, this is something that it, it doesn't work for everybody.
Rachel Carlson· Host0:50
Ha, I'm safe from the police skies.
Jon Hamilton0:51
Yeah, exactly. But if- [laughs] I'm so proud of myself.
Rachel Carlson· Host0:55
And our inbox lit up about this. People wrote, "Is that even a thing? I don't understand. How is that possible?" So we had to confirm science backs this up, right? Not everyone has an inner monologue.
Emily Kwong· Host1:08
It is true. Uh, scientists confirm for some people inner speech is far less wordy. So my inner experience isn't really word-based, it's more like a moving landscape of images. It's kind of like soaking in an emotional bath and, like, feelings.
Rachel Carlson· Host1:26
I love it.
Emily Kwong· Host1:26
Yeah, and feelings and images will rise, and they'll fall,