Yeah I can't tell if we actually think differently, or if we just observe our minds differently. If I frame the question to myself as "do I know the words for what I'm thinking?" then the words for what I'm thinking about instantly start arriving. But if I frame the question to myself of "what do these thoughts feel like?" then my thoughts feel a bit formless and instinctive. (Or if I catch myself daydreaming, I can't remember any "inner language" for hours).

I'm not convinced our minds are actually different in kind, as opposed to just having quality differences in how we perceive ourselves. We can run the experiment right now. Does anyone actually have an internal voice narrating the feeling you get watching a sunset?

Personally, my inner voice doesn’t narrate; it only makes logical arguments or explanations. But it does occasionally seem to ‘go on autopilot’: my conscious focus is on some pressing but mindless task, and then I catch my inner voice in the middle of explaining some random trivial thing.

At other times, when I’m in a relaxed and unfocused state, particularly in the shower, my inner voice goes in circles and explains the same thing over and over. This tends to happen when I find an explanation really logically satisfying or interesting. This is perhaps a less interesting situation than the last one, because going through an argument repeatedly to understand it better is probably something that everyone does. But when it goes in circles too many times, I get sick of the topic, and there’s a distinct sense of “will you just shut up already”. Then I have to actively come up with something else to think about.

In both situations, my inner voice is becoming slightly intrusive, acting like a distinct entity from my conscious focus; and it always comes in the form of words even if I’m not actively seeking words. I think that goes beyond just “do I know the words for what I’m thinking”.

I was originally going to try to explain what it's like to handle mundane things like going to the grocery store, but then I realized I haven't gone to a grocery store in 10 years because it's so anxiety-inducing. Maybe my inner voice is part of the problem.

Mine's not even normally restricted to being an inner voice. I live by myself, and I talk to myself out loud constantly. It's mostly just narration, but I think being explicit about things helps my executive function weaknesses.

"Alright, smeej. Up from the couch. Let's put the dishes away. Grab those two first. Then let's shower because it's getting kind of late this morning."

I catch myself muttering out loud in hardware stores (which are somehow less overwhelming than grocery stores), but who hasn't seen somebody looking for something and muttering to themselves? I'm just that person!

The voice doesn't think, the voice just narrates the thought. It's optional filler.

I guess that makes sense. But it seems like many thinks that the voice is their thinking rather than just a narrator? Like, I have heard that people can't imagine solving a math problem without thinking in words.

Yes, AFAIK many people who have a narrator don't realize that's not what's doing the thinking.

I'm pretty new to doing proofs, and I constantly think in words while doing them. Are you saying that there may be a point when I won't think like that? That would be amazing.

> And then if you talk to yourself about everything, how do you think about things you can't talk about?

The same way you do, presumably.