Latest news with #Hurlburt
The Star
24-04-2025
- Science
- The Star
Do you lack an inner voice?
Mel May only realised she was different while reading a news article one day. 'Wait, what? Some people hear a voice in their head?' she thought at the time. She was stunned to discover that this was not just a figure of speech – her friends were actually chatting to themselves in their minds. The 30-year-old Australian video producer who lives in New York, the United States, remembers trying to explain to her family: 'I don't have a voice in my head.' 'My dad was like, 'You are lying',' she shared. But her father came around once May started working with psychologists who agreed – she is one of the very rare people who lack inner speech. A new concept The idea that some people might not experience this phenomenon is so new that a clinical name, anendophasia, was only proposed for it in a paper last year (2024). The inner monologue has proven extremely difficult to study because it relies on people being able to describe how they think – and it turns out that we are unreliable narrators. 'People are ignorant about the characteristics of their own inner experience,' Dr Russell Hurlburt, a psychology professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, US, said. 'And it doesn't matter how confident you are,' added the pioneer in the field who has studied people with a range of inner experiences, including May. Most people assume their inner voice is speaking all the time, but it is actually just one of several phenomena of our inner experience, he said. Others include visual imagery, 'unsymbolised thinking', feelings and sensory awareness. Words vs visuals To study these phenomena, Prof Hurlburt conducted research that would have a beeper go off at random while study participants were reading Franz Kafka's novella The Metamorphosis and describe what was in their head. Rather than speaking the words in their inner voice, they were actually creating visual images – 'their own video' – of the book, he said. People also have different kinds of inner speech. Some have multiple voices, while bilingual people can switch languages. Dr Giordon Stark, a California-based particle physicist who was born deaf, has a mix of inner speech and visual images. 'I don't think of the word 'bed' in my head, but rather, I visualise the idea of my head hitting the pillow', which is similar to the sign language gesture for the word, the 34-year-old explained. Pressed to estimate how often people are hearing an inner voice, Prof Hurlburt emphasised that much more research is needed on the subject. But a ballpark figure could be that people are 'inner speaking' 20% to 25% of the time, he said. That average includes people who have far more frequent speech and those with none, such as May. 'Her inner experience is close to being nothing, but she's the exception rather than the rule,' he said. Dr Helene Loevenbruck, a leading inner voice researcher at France's Universite Grenoble Alpes, has had to change her mind on whether people like May could even exist. 'I thought everyone had an inner voice until very recently,' she said. The idea ran counter to her previous work, which suggested inner speech was an important part of speaking out loud, serving as an 'internal simulation'. But the work of Prof Hurlburt – and the discovery that some people cannot create mental images, a condition called aphantasia – changed her mind. Pros and cons May believes her lack of an inner voice is why she has never been an anxious person – and why meditation is very easy for her. Dr Daniel Gregory, a philosopher specialising in inner speech at the University of Barcelona, Spain, said a potential disadvantage of having more inner speech is 'a vulnerability to negative thought patterns, to rumination'. But we can also 'use inner speech to encourage ourselves, to give ourselves positive messages', he said. May said a common response to hearing that she has no inner monologue is: 'Wow, that must be amazing.' However, she added: 'I'm really quick to push back on that because I think certainly there are pros and cons. 'I reflect a lot about what aspects of the lived experience I'm missing out on.' As well as not stressing about the future, May has a hard time remembering the past. Dr Loevenbruck said that the people she had studied with aphantasia reported having 'weird' autobiographical memories 'because they have no sensory way of reliving a memory'. May emphasised that lacking an inner voice did not mean she was incapable of thought. 'I'm not dead inside. I know stuff and I feel stuff,' said May, who plans to make a documentary about her experience. Asked what was running through her head, she responded simply. 'Well, I'm sitting here, I'm listening to you and then I just automatically respond. And that's it. 'Isn't that how this happens for everyone?' – AFP Relaxnews
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
'I don't have a voice in my head': Life with no inner monologue
Mel May only realised she was different while reading a news article one day. "Wait, what? Some people hear a voice in their head?" she thought at the time. She was stunned to discover that this was not just a figure of speech -- her friends were actually chatting to themselves in their minds. May, a 30-year-old Australian video producer who lives in New York, remembers trying to explain to her family: "I don't have a voice in my head." "My dad was like, 'You are lying'," she told AFP. But her father came around once May started working with psychologists who agreed -- she is one of the very rare people who lack inner speech. The idea that some people might not experience this phenomenon is so new that a clinical name, anendophasia, was only proposed for it in a paper last year. The inner monologue has proven extremely difficult to study because it relies on people being able to describe how they think -- and it turns out we are unreliable narrators. "People are ignorant about the characteristics of their own inner experience," Russell Hurlburt, a psychology professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told AFP. "And it doesn't matter how confident you are," added Hurlburt, a pioneer in the field who has studied people with a range of inner experiences, including May. Most people assume their inner voice is speaking all the time but it is actually just one of several phenomena of our inner experience, Hurlburt said. Others include visual imagery, "unsymbolised thinking", feelings and sensory awareness. - Only a quarter of the time? - To study these phenomena, Hurlburt conducted research that would have a beeper go off at random while study participants were reading Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" and describe what was in their head. Rather than speaking the words in their inner voice, they were actually creating visual images -- "their own video" -- of the book, he said. People also have different kinds of inner speech. Some have multiple voices, while bilingual people can switch languages. Giordon Stark, a California-based particle physicist who was born deaf, has a mix of inner speech and visual images. "I don't think of the word 'bed' in my head but I rather visualise the idea of my head hitting the pillow," which is similar to the sign language gesture for the word, the 34-year-old told AFP. Pressed to estimate how often people are hearing an inner voice, Hurlburt emphasised that much more research is needed on the subject. But a ballpark figure could be that people are "inner speaking" 20 to 25 percent of the time, he said. That average includes people who have far more frequent speech and those with none, such as May. "Her inner experience is close to being nothing but she's the exception rather than the rule," Hurlburt said. Helene Loevenbruck, a leading inner voice researcher at France's Universite Grenoble Alpes, has had to change her mind on whether people like May could even exist. "I thought everyone had an inner voice until very recently," she told AFP. The idea ran counter to her previous work, which suggested inner speech was an important part of speaking out loud, serving as an "internal simulation". But the work of Hurlburt -- and the discovery that some people cannot create mental images, a condition called aphantasia -- changed her mind. - 'Pros and cons' - May believes her lack of an inner voice is why she has never been an anxious person -- and why meditation is very easy for her. Daniel Gregory, a philosopher specialising in inner speech at the University of Barcelona, said a potential disadvantage of having more inner speech is "a vulnerability to negative thought patterns, to rumination". But we can also "use inner speech to encourage ourselves, to give ourselves positive messages", he told AFP. May said a common response to hearing that she has no inner monologue is: "Wow, that must be amazing." "I'm really quick to push back on that because I think certainly there are pros and cons," she said. "I reflect a lot about what aspects of the lived experience I'm missing out on." As well as not stressing about the future, May has a hard time remembering the past. Loevenbruck said the people she had studied with aphantasia reported having "weird" autobiographical memories "because they have no sensory way of reliving a memory". May emphasised that lacking an inner voice did not mean she was incapable of thought. "I'm not dead inside. I know stuff and I feel stuff," said May, who plans to make a documentary about her experience. Asked what was running through her head, she responded simply. "Well, I'm sitting here, I'm listening to you and then I just automatically respond. And that's it. "Isn't that how this happens for everyone?" dl/gil/rjm
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Why you're seeing red: ‘Wear Red Day' raises awareness for women's heart health
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — If you've watched our newscasts or browsed social media today, you've probably noticed a lot of red. But Valentine's Day isn't until next Friday, right? Don't worry—we haven't mixed up our days. February is American Heart Month, and the first Friday of the month is designated as 'National Wear Red Day' to raise awareness about women's heart health. While cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading health threat in Rhode Island and across the country, some people face higher risks than others, according to health experts. The American Heart Association (AHA) says that life stages like pregnancy and menopause can increase a woman's risk for CVD. In fact, 45% of women over the age of 20 are living with some form of heart disease, according to the AHA's 2025 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistical Update. Since 2004, the AHA has encouraged people to 'Go Red for Women' to raise awareness and address gaps in clinical care throughout every stage of life. READ ALSO: Blood test may detect heart disease risk in women decades earlier The association encourages everyone to get involved by: Wearing red to support the women in your life. Spreading the word on social media using the hashtags #WearRedDay, #WearRedandGive and #HeartMonth. Donating or creating your own fundraiser page. Dr. Heather Hurlburt, a cardiologist at Kent Hospital, told 12 News this is a great time to check in with your doctor about preventing heart disease through healthy eating and exercise habits. 'Think about your own risk and check in with your doctors and get the care that you can to detect heart disease, before it's too late,' Hurlburt said. She added that it's important to be aware of general risk factors, regularly check your blood pressure and cholesterol, stop smoking, and maintain an active lifestyle. Hurlburt also said Wear Red Day is an opportunity to reflect on your health and remember that heart disease is still widespread. 'You may not think that it affects you. but all of these risk factors are things that can sometimes go unnoticed,' she said. NEXT: How to stay healthy with sickness on the rise in Rhode Island Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
