PARIS: The journey into the realm of inner speech, or the lack thereof, can be a bewildering experience, as Mel May discovered while perusing a news article. This 30-year-old Australian video producer, currently residing in New York, came across a startling revelation: not everyone has an internal voice. Her realization sparked a moment of disbelief — "Wait, what? Some people actually hear a voice in their head?" This was not merely a poetic expression; it was a reality for many of her friends who often engaged in inner dialogues.

Initially, May struggled to convey her unique perspective to her family. "I don't have a voice in my head," she explained, only to meet skepticism from her father, who dismissed her claims with, "You are lying." However, as May began consulting with psychologists, her experiences were validated. She belongs to an exceedingly rare group of individuals who experience a mental state known as anendophasia, a term that was only introduced in academic literature last year.

The phenomenon of inner monologue has proven elusive for researchers, primarily because it hinges on individuals’ ability to articulate their thought processes. According to Russell Hurlburt, a psychology professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, people often misinterpret their own inner experiences. "People are ignorant about the characteristics of their own inner experience," he remarked. This observation indicates that despite their confidence, individuals can still be unreliable narrators regarding their mental states.

Interestingly, Hurlburt pointed out that many people assume their inner voice is in constant operation. However, it is merely one facet of a more complex inner experience that encompasses visual imagery, sensory awareness, and unsymbolized thinking, among others. In one of his notable studies, Hurlburt employed a beeper that would go off randomly while participants read Franz Kafka’s famed novella, The Metamorphosis. When prompted, participants would often describe visual images they created in their minds rather than verbalizing inner words. This led to a fascinating conclusion: some individuals visualize their thoughts as a ‘video’ rather than hear them as an inner dialogue.

Hurlburt's research also reveals that inner speech varies significantly among individuals. Some people hear multiple voices, while bilinguals may find themselves switching languages during internal conversations. For instance, Giordon Stark, a particle physicist from California who was born deaf, experiences a blend of inner speech and visual thinking. “I don’t think of the word ‘bed’ in my head, but I visualize the idea of my head hitting the pillow,” he explained, relating his thoughts to a sign language gesture.

While pressed to provide an estimate on how often people experience inner speech, Hurlburt stated that considerable further research is necessary. Nonetheless, he suggested that individuals might engage in inner speaking approximately 20 to 25 percent of the time, a figure that includes both frequent speakers and those like May, who hardly experience it at all. “Her inner experience is close to being nothing, but she is the exception rather than the rule,” he noted.

Helene Loevenbruck, a leading researcher in the field of inner speech at Université Grenoble Alpes in France, recently underwent a change in her beliefs regarding the existence of individuals like May. “I thought everyone had an inner voice until very recently,” she admitted, acknowledging that her prior work had suggested inner speech was fundamental for verbal expression, functioning as an “internal simulation.” However, the insights gleaned from Hurlburt’s research, along with emerging evidence that some individuals struggle to form mental images — a condition known as aphantasia — have shifted her perspective.

May has pondered the implications of her unique mental construct. She believes that her absence of an inner voice contributes to her generally low levels of anxiety and makes meditation an effortless practice. Daniel Gregory, a philosopher specializing in inner speech at the University of Barcelona, suggested that having a more prominent inner voice might lead to a susceptibility to negative thought patterns and overthinking. Yet, he also highlighted the potential for inner speech to serve as a tool for self-encouragement and positive affirmations.

Many people express envy upon learning that May lacks an inner monologue, exclaiming, “Wow, that must be amazing.” However, she quickly counters this notion, emphasizing that there are both advantages and disadvantages to her experience. “I reflect a lot about what aspects of the lived experience I’m missing out on,” she stated. While she is free from worries about the future, she finds it challenging to recall past events. Loevenbruck has noted that individuals with aphantasia often report having unusual autobiographical memories because they lack sensory methods to relive them.

Despite her lack of an inner voice, May insists that this does not equate to a void in her thoughts or emotions. “I’m not dead inside. I know stuff and I feel stuff,” she asserted, revealing her plans to create a documentary that delves into her unique experience. When asked what thoughts run through her mind in daily life, she offered a straightforward response: “Well, I’m sitting here, I’m listening to you, and then I just automatically respond. And that’s it.” This leads her to wonder, “Isn’t that how this happens for everyone?”