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[–] 12 points 16 hours ago* (7 children)

Obviously, so many more self-aware mammals don't have language than do, but I'm with you in the sense that I have no idea how you would turn it off or any real conception of what it would be like to go even an hour without it.

I like to think I actually have a pretty decent ability to visualize things, but one other thing that may be related is I also don't read as quickly as I would like. Upon asking my wife, who digests anything she's interested in at lightning speed, she informed me that she doesn't mentally articulate every word. She scans the information visually, still in order but without a detour through her speech center, and retention is excellent. Our daughter seems to do the same thing. Meanwhile, I'm here feeling like I've got shit on lockdown because at least I don't have to whisper the words to myself like some early medieval monk (to the extent that trope is even true... thanks for nothin', Augustine). If I quickly recite some meaningless mantra in my mind over and over again, I can speed things up for a little while, but it feels deeply unnatural.

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  • [–] 8 points 16 hours ago (6 children)

    Oh, I can turn My internal monologue off! When I was a teenager, I read how language shapes our ability to think. So I trained Myself to think without language, to increase the range of thoughts I'm capable of having and reduce bias.

    Sometimes I realise I'm getting overstimulated (autism) by too much talking in My life, so I spend a few days with less internal monologue, to give Myself a break from speech, at least in My head. Then the buzzing sensation goes away and I slowly go back to having an internal monologue.

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  • [–] 3 points 16 hours ago (1 child)

    How interesting and cool. I mean, I can have certainly have experiences that flood over me without being articulated, and I can sort of stop talking to myself for a while and I don't lose the ability to function or anything, but it really cannot last more than a few minutes. Processing the world is deeply tied to language for me.

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  • [–] 1 point 14 hours ago (1 child)

    I'm with the others here: I want to hear more! I know it's ironic to ask you to put it into language, but what is your experience when you are thinking without internal monologue?

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  • Less person. More animal/monster. More images. More feelings. Mindset changes. Less wanting to conform. Less society in head. More direct desire. More motivation, willpower. Want do things. Want cuddle mate, want eat food, want do work for good life.

    ~ Vivace

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