• Question: How can our mind think words when we aren't actually saying them?

    Asked by gandalfthegrey to Fiona, Jane, Joanna, Michelle, William on 22 Jun 2010 in Categories: . This question was also asked by buckd, parapassion.
    • Photo: Fiona Randall

      Fiona Randall answered on 21 Jun 2010:

      Our brain plans our actions before we do them so we can think of words before they are going to come out of our mouths.

    • Photo: Joanna Brooks

      Joanna Brooks answered on 21 Jun 2010:

      Another good question. Yes the mind can think words when we are not saying them – this is called the ‘inner voice’ and it’s something that scientists have been trying to understand for decades.

      People who have schizophrenia sometimes have problems with their inner voice. It can seem like their own thoughts – words for example – are not thoughts at all but are actually being said by someone else.

    • Photo: William Davies

      William Davies answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      Great question! Our brain probably thinks of words in the same way both when we say them and when we don’t. However, when we don’t, a part of brain called the frontal cortex which is responsible for inhibiting certain actions, sends signals to our vocal apparatus telling it not to do anything.

    • Photo: Michelle Murphy

      Michelle Murphy answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      Well the brain likes to reherse what it is going to do sometimes so words are in out thought before we send signals all the way to the muscles in our mouth or fingers to speek, write or type them.

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