Imagine you’re reading something, be it a sign, a book, song lyrics, etc. You should have a voice, your voice in most cases, telling you whatever it says on that text.
Or say, you’re overthinking about something and replay scenarios on your mind about that. Maybe you might get crushed in your way to work by a car, or you’ll forget your pants, who knows!
By doing those things you’re painting a clear image and sounds on your head, but how can you see the inside of your brain, if you have no eyes in there? And how can you give a voice to those thoughts, if you’re specifically not talking out loud?
In: Biology
That voice is usually called your “inner voice” or “internal monologue”.
It doesn’t look like there is any research that’s found how that works, but there is research on how visual imagination / memory works.
Using brain scans it was found that many of the same places in the brain that are active when you look at an object are also active when you imagine it.
So it seems like your brain is able to trigger its object recognition system manually and create a mental image of that object without needing to see it. We don’t yet know enough about how the brain works too get any more detailed than that.
Your inner voice is probably done by your brain in a similar way.
It’s called “Internal monologue” or often “internal dialogue”. It’s believed to be an evolutionary response to help the early man’s mind communicate and discuss in a “resting state”
Fun fact: only around ~50% of population has the IM. And deaf people can have a sign language or imagery IM
If you would be interested in light YA books about the Internal Monologue, I thoroughly enjoyed “Close encounters of the girl kind”
I know alcohol quiets my interior monologue. Weed makes it so much worse.
I don’t really drink because it helps so much.
Inner monologue. I didn’t always have it but it sorta just became normal over time due to being by myself a lot and not having any friends.
A fun fact is during Covid when I was at home I started watching comedies from Australia and New Zealand and my inner monolog aquired an accent it was very interesting
I have had issues with alcohol for years and when withdrawing I get the most insane imagery, especially on the verge of sleep.
Your subconscious is insane when it starts misfiring. I had a semi dream where I was walking through a stream and your brain can render water like no computer on earth. It was perfect. I’ve walked through dark cities that make no sense as well but all perfect in detail.
Latest Answers