For a long time, I assumed everyone thought the same way I did. It wasn’t until my psychology class that I realized my experience is actually very different from others around me: I don’t have an internal monologue, while some do. Where their thoughts come in the form of words and sentences, mine don’t have a voice at all.
I interviewed my parents and had them describe whether or not they have an internal monologue. Both did and described their thoughts as spoken, almost like hearing themselves talk inside their heads. My mom once explained that she is “constantly talking through things” in her mind, while my dad said he hears his thoughts as full sentences. For them, thinking involves words first, then action. When they plan, reflect, or make decisions, their inner voice narrates the process.
That isn’t how my brain works. When I think, there is no internal narration or dialogue. Instead, thoughts appear as ideas or general understandings. I don’t “say” things to myself internally; I just know them. If I’m deciding something, the conclusion simply forms without a verbal buildup. When I read, I understand the words, but I don’t hear them spoken in my head. This difference doesn’t affect my ability to reason or understand, but it does change how thinking feels on a moment-to-moment level.
Psychologists describe an internal monologue, also known as inner speech as, “the subjective experience of language in the absence of overt and audible articulation,” according to PubMed Central. With research further research into other sources, there’s been no correlation with whether having an internal monologue is genetic or not. There is no solid evidence that it is passed down directly from parents to children. Although both of my parents have strong internal voices, I do not, which suggests that environment, brain development, or individual cognitive wiring could play a larger role than genetics alone. The brain is highly adaptable, and people develop different thinking styles based on how their minds organize information.
My dad summed it up simply when he said, “Everyone’s brain works differently.” Thinking deeper into brain monologues and that my mind operates without an internal monologue, it made me more aware of how diverse human thought really is.
In the end, there is no single correct way to think. Whether thoughts come as words, images, or quiet understanding, they all serve the same purpose: helping us make sense of the world. My parents and I may think differently, but those differences highlight just how flexible and varied the human mind can be.
