Do I Have an Internal Monologue?

Take this quiz to find out!

It’s a beautiful day!

Did you read that sentence in your head, word for word? Or did you interpret the meaning another way?

Studies indicate somewhere between 30 and 50% of the population has an internal monologue—so they “hear” a voice in their head, even when they’re not speaking aloud. Are you one of them, or do you interpret the world in other ways? Take this quiz, and we’ll tell you everything you need to know.

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Questions Overview

1. Do you ever talk to yourself in your head (as in, you can hear your own voice speaking in your mind)?
  1. Yes, all the time. I can’t help it.
  2. Sometimes, when I’m working through a complex problem.
  3. Never.
  4. I don’t know.
2. When you’re rehearsing for a speech, do you recite the words in your head?
  1. Yes, I rehearse in my head just as if I’m saying the words out loud.
  2. Sometimes, but I also find it helpful to rehearse aloud.
  3. No, I rehearse out loud. I have a hard time rehearsing in my head.
  4. I’m not sure.
3. When you’re reading a book, do you “hear” yourself saying the words in your head?
  1. Yes, always.
  2. Sort of, but it’s in the characters’ voices.
  3. No, I just sort of sense the words I’m reading, if that makes sense.
  4. I don’t know.
4. Do you get songs stuck in your head a lot?
  1. Yes, all the time.
  2. Sometimes.
  3. Rarely or never.
  4. I don’t know.
5. Have you ever watched a movie, and then had the dialogue stuck on replay in your head?
  1. Yes, all the time.
  2. Sometimes, especially with movies I’ve seen a lot.
  3. No, definitely not. I might see the scenes or hear the music in my head though.
  4. I’m not sure. I think about the movie later, but I don’t see or hear it—does that count?
6. When you’re feeling sad, do you struggle with negative self-talk (or, do you hear a voice saying negative things)?
  1. Yes, whenever I’m sad I hear negative self-talk.
  2. Only some of the time.
  3. Never. When I feel bad about myself, I don’t hear a voice.
  4. I don’t know.
7. When you’re happy, do you hear a voice in your head saying positive things?
  1. Yes, definitely! I hear it automatically as I go through my day.
  2. Sometimes, but only when I focus.
  3. Even when I’m happy, I don’t hear a voice saying positive things—I just feel good!
  4. I don’t know.
8. Do you narrate your day in your head?
  1. Yes, everything that happens is filtered through a voice in my head.
  2. Some of it is narrated in my head.
  3. No, I never narrate my life in my head.
  4. I’m not sure.
9. How do you personally define “internal monologue”?
  1. It’s a voice in your mind that just comes and goes when it wants, without your control.
  2. It’s when you intentionally talk to yourself in your head—like to work through a problem or read to yourself.
  3. As far as I can tell, it’s a voice some people seem to have in their heads for silent verbal processing.
  4. I don’t know.

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What Is an Inner Monologue?

An internal monologue (or inner monologue) is a voice you hear in your head, even when you’re not speaking aloud. You might hear the voice in your head automatically, without realizing it, or you might use your inner voice to talk to yourself (such as to process a complex problem), to read, or to rehearse something (such as for a presentation or play). About 30%-50% of the population have an inner monologue, while the remainder don’t or aren’t aware of it if they have it.

Believe it or not, most people have a pretty limited understanding of how they themselves process the world, let alone how anybody else could process it differently from how they do. It can be difficult to truly study a person’s pristine internal experience—pristine as in undisturbed, not pure or clean—because, like a wild animal, it runs away when you get too close to it! Psychologist Russell Hurlburt, who studies internal processing, has identified five main ways people process the world, including through an inner monologue:

  • Inner speaking
  • Inner seeing
  • Feelings
  • Sensory awareness
  • Unsymbolized thinking

Maybe you have an internal monologue—or maybe you process the world a little differently. There’s no right or wrong way!

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