Today's post is a question.
"How do you think?"
I've recently learned that individuals THINK differently.
Let me explain:
I think in first person monologue. That is to say that I think very much like I am typing now.
This monologue continues constantly, both day and night. The voice to my monologue is my own. I do not hear my mother's voice in my head chiming past mom-isms. I do not hear the voices of fictional characters, although the occasional Bugs Bunny come-back does pass through.
There is no time that I do not hear this monologue. It is my only thought process. It goes on during all actions and events. Sometimes it is even relevant to what I am doing at the time. Most often, it is not.
When I explained this to my brother I was met with a blank stare. "The voice in your head, huh?" he grinned.
"Well yes." I replied, entirely confused.
I asked, "When you go to bed, turn out the lights, roll over and get comfy....what goes through your head? Do you not think?"
"Well, I see pictures but I don't hear voices." he retorted.
The thought of an inner monologue was entirley foreign to him. The idea of "seeing pictures" is pretty foreign to me.
Do I see images? Yes, but they are not only accompanied by the "voice" they are actually conjured by it.
So I asked my husband, "When you go to bed, turn out the lights, roll over and get comfy....what goes through your head?"
And he replied...."nothing". Which explains why he goes to sleep inside of 5 minutes and has never ever had insomnia.
It explains a lot more than that too. hah
I do not have the ability to "turn off" the voice. But that's a post for another time.
My question is: How do you think?
And for those of you who speak multiple languages: "In what language do you think?"
5 comments:
LOL...sounds like your hubby is like my Robin - lights out. Period :p
Hmm...well, first of all I think in English, otherwise I would sound way too stupid trying to speak the language...but it depends a bit on the mood too and who I have around me or what I've just done. After a phonecall with my son I tend to alter between two languages for a while in my mind before I merge over to English again.
I don't think much when I'm typing...which shows too...haha
As for otherwise...well, I tend to be very visual and I don't really have a "voice" inside my head, but I do have a lot of words swirling around. Heck knows where they come from. And around bedtime I always have a million "what if" going on...but it's also my time of the day when I analyse my day and whatever happened :)
Oh, my "inner voice" is quite self-centered... I only hear little old me. And, although I do think a few choice words in German, Icelandic, Spanish or Shquip (Albanian), it is only because I only KNOW a few words in those languages, not a lot :-)
I can picture things in my head, but I think just like you write.
I can't imagine thinking in more than one language. I'm confused enough in English. hah
Interesting the way that works for you though, Christa. English isn't your native tongue is it?
I think you must think more like my brother does...piccies and words.
I don't analyse my day when I lie down though. My mind is either moving forward or stuck on one thing. "What if"s are my specialty though.
Tracey, THAT is my insomnia too. That danged voice just goes on an on and won't shut up. More on that soon.
Terry, thank goodness I'm not alone. I think mine is not self centered as it tends to think a lot about how other people feel. My inner voice is all about worrying.
I am comforted knowing that "I think just like you write." My brother had me convinced that no one else thought like that.
I know a few Spanish and French words too and they creep in...usually in badly used mixed-grammer like "esta la bad" or "ou est la cat". (Spanish for "this is bad" and French for "where's the cat")
:)
Nope. Swedish is my native language, but Granny taught me English and Norweigan pretty much from the day I could pronounce words in Swedish, so they all come fairly natural to me these days.
It's the Swedish that sometimes messes up my grammar and makes me sound like Yoda btw...teehee My hubby in LA always used to say that he kept forgetting that I wasn't a native, but was reminded about it whenever I said something backwards...hehe
And I'm certainly not British :p Not even 2 years in this place have managed to bring out a British accent in me :D
PS....I love it when you talk like Yoda. I think it's very fitting. :D
You are so wonderfully unique!!!!!!
More later. ((((HUGS))))
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