Inner experience in humans

October 31, 2024 — November 1, 2024

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Figure 1: Go on, buy the sticker

When wondering how our mind works, one might also wonder what it is “like” to have a mind.

As a first approximation, this might look like it is correlated with the question “Am I a P-Zombie?”, but I suspect there are more terms to unpack.

One might also wonder if we have a similar experience of having a mind. It turns out, probably not.

Figure 2

1 Inner voice

I am especially interested in the experience of having an inner voice, or an inner monologue.

I personally do have an inner voice, which I understand is not necessarily guaranteed. It is mostly drafting blog posts. This… sounds like I am making a joke, and I am a little bit, but it is also not inaccurate. I do not generally have a running commentary on my life, except insofar as that voice is rehearsing how to later explain things to others. I am not sure how typical this is.

2 Inner visualisations

Aphantasia is the inability to visualise things in your mind’s eye.

3 References

Alderson-Day, and Fernyhough. 2015. “Inner Speech: Development, Cognitive Functions, Phenomenology, and Neurobiology.” Psychological Bulletin.
Alderson-Day, Mitrenga, Wilkinson, et al. 2018. “The Varieties of Inner Speech Questionnaire – Revised (VISQ-R): Replicating and Refining Links Between Inner Speech and Psychopathology.” Consciousness and Cognition.
Alderson-Day, Weis, McCarthy-Jones, et al. 2015. “The Brain’s Conversation with Itself: Neural Substrates of Dialogic Inner Speech.” Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.
Fedorenko, Piantadosi, and Gibson. 2024. “Language Is Primarily a Tool for Communication Rather Than Thought.” Nature.
Fernyhough, and Borghi. 2023. “Inner speech as language process and cognitive tool.” Trends in Cognitive Sciences.
Grandchamp, Rapin, Perrone-Bertolotti, et al. 2019. “The ConDialInt Model: Condensation, Dialogality, and Intentionality Dimensions of Inner Speech Within a Hierarchical Predictive Control Framework.” Frontiers in Psychology.
Heavey, and Hurlburt. 2008. “The Phenomena of Inner Experience.” Consciousness and Cognition.
Heavey, Moynihan, Brouwers, et al. 2019. “Measuring the Frequency of Inner-Experience Characteristics by Self-Report: The Nevada Inner Experience Questionnaire.” Frontiers in Psychology.
Hinwar, and Lambert. 2021. “Anauralia: The Silent Mind and Its Association With Aphantasia.” Frontiers in Psychology.
Hurlburt, Heavey, and Kelsey. 2013. “Toward a Phenomenology of Inner Speaking.” Consciousness and Cognition.
Nedergaard, and Lupyan. 2024. “Not Everybody Has an Inner Voice: Behavioral Consequences of Anendophasia.” Psychological Science.
Oleś, Brinthaupt, Dier, et al. 2020. “Types of Inner Dialogues and Functions of Self-Talk: Comparisons and Implications.” Frontiers in Psychology.