I find this hard to fathom. That some people dont talk to themselves in their head.

How can people think?

 

 

OK... I got about 3 minutes into this and had to stop.

You see, I just finished watching the movie "Idiocracy" (I do NOT recommend it) and it was like I was still watching the movie.  Seriously.

Pleeeeease tell me I didn't get sucked into a different time line by watching that movie.  I'm afraid to look out the window.  It's like I'm now in the time line where Biff got the Sports Almanac.  

Be afraid.  Be very afraid.

Hook

Hell, I talk to my self and give myself some pretty good answers too!

2 hours ago, LHookins said:

You see, I just finished watching the movie "Idiocracy" (I do NOT recommend it)

I had to look that up and read the synopsis. I get that it’s a comedy, but oh my goodness.  Reminds me of a movie experience I had that wasn’t a comedy a long time ago.  I went with one of my cousins to see a midnight showing of “Zardoz”, as I was curious about it but didn’t know what it was about.  That movie was a real slog to get through.  On the drive home we were laughing, “What the h-e-l-l was that all about?” 🤣😆

 

Zardoz with Sean Connery?   wizZARD of OZ

Since everyone else is crazy the best conversation I have is me. We don’t always agree with each other and are able to come to uneasy terms when we don’t. Come to think of it I think he’s getting increasingly senile with age but I just humor him.

46 minutes ago, Mike A said:

a midnight showing of “Zardoz”, as I was curious about it but didn’t know what it was about.

And you still don't know what it was about, right? 😄  I watched it long ago and the only things I remember are "Sean Connery in a diaper" and "THIS is what he was willing to do to get out of being typecast as James Bond?"  

No doubt working his way up to "I am not a Spanish peacock, I am an Egyptian peacock!" from one of the Highlander movies.

Harkening back to the original post, there are some people who do not think in words, but in images.  Seems like this nice lady is one of those.

Hook

The older you get the more you talk to yourself.  The more your imagination takes hold.  I find myself drifting off into thought and missing scenes in movies I'm watching on TV.  Simply thinking is talking to yourself internally.  I'm doing it constantly.  Just walking alone from my room to the dining room I find my self talking to myself.  Memories are a form of talking to yourself.

Here in Warehouse I have friends who are in various stages of dementia.  One of them used to be a high school teacher and loves to talk about her kids, her students.  I listen to her and ask her questions which she answers.  Ten minutes later she's forgotten our conversation but I'm sure she talks to herself mentally.

There is another lady here who is a good friend.  She's only 4'10" tall.  She talks about working for the telephone company running wires in constricted spaces men were too large to easily fit in.  She's very proud of that and tells the story over and over again.  But you can tell she tells the story to herself in her mind.  I always listen to her when she tells the story.

Minds that are working well have mental conversations even when they have diminished mental capacity.  And we try out our conversations mentally before coming out verbally with them.

Anybody who does not or cannot talk to themself is missing out on a whole lot.

Noel

I say enough stupid stuff even after talking to myself.  Can't imagine the things that would come out of my mouth if didn't have any kind of internal monitoring system? 

I talk to myself all the time.  What bothers me is when my wife says “who are you talking to?”  I could swear I’m not talking out loud, but who knows?  Maybe I’m smiling inappropriately 🤷🏻.  But a lot of times I think “What am I doing here?  There’s a reason I’m here, but what was it?”  And trouble remembering names, but eventually it comes, whether in a few minutes or the next day.  Must be my internal hard drive is wearing out.

And there are times I’ll just pull a Ralfie, just standing or sitting there with a goofy smile on my face:

 

Edited August 25, 2025Aug 25 by Mike A
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12 hours ago, birdguy said:

Minds that are working well have mental conversations

 

Not true, apparently. As per my first post. Apparently a significant number of healthy individuals have no internal monologue.