I naturally rarely think in words unless I’m constructing a verbal artifact (speaking, writing, planning what to speak/write, daydreaming conversations, etc).
But I’ve recently began to occasionally deliberately think in words, after writing made me appreciate that verbal algorithms can be helpful for focusing attention and enforcing rigor. However, verbal thinking feels inefficient in other ways (less tolerant of ambiguity, trapped to the ontology of language, single-threaded, etc), and it would be extremely annoying if I had to have an inner monologue all the time, even if I could think nonverbally “around” it.
I have also been fascinated with this question for a long time and have been polling people since middle school. Consistent with the results of this Twitter poll I recently ran, more than half the people I’ve personally asked report that they think primarily in words. (Several people have weakened the claim when I asked them more probing questions, like whether they think in words while doing math. Some people who normally “think in words” don’t think verbally while doing math, but others have to.)
Very interestingly, many people disbelieve that I don’t think in words, as they are unable to imagine how it would be possible to think at all without words.
I naturally rarely think in words unless I’m constructing a verbal artifact (speaking, writing, planning what to speak/write, daydreaming conversations, etc).
But I’ve recently began to occasionally deliberately think in words, after writing made me appreciate that verbal algorithms can be helpful for focusing attention and enforcing rigor. However, verbal thinking feels inefficient in other ways (less tolerant of ambiguity, trapped to the ontology of language, single-threaded, etc), and it would be extremely annoying if I had to have an inner monologue all the time, even if I could think nonverbally “around” it.
I have also been fascinated with this question for a long time and have been polling people since middle school. Consistent with the results of this Twitter poll I recently ran, more than half the people I’ve personally asked report that they think primarily in words. (Several people have weakened the claim when I asked them more probing questions, like whether they think in words while doing math. Some people who normally “think in words” don’t think verbally while doing math, but others have to.)
Very interestingly, many people disbelieve that I don’t think in words, as they are unable to imagine how it would be possible to think at all without words.