It’s estimated that 50-70% of the world population doesn’t. Do you also constantly argue with yourself?
Yes, I have an “internal monologue”. It never occurred to me that there were people who don’t until I read the linked article.
It’s quite chatty in my head, but I’m definitely talking to myself. I’m wondering if people who think god speaks to them are more or less likely to also have an internal monologue? It would be pretty startling to not have your own voice in your head, but to hear someone talking to you in there. At any rate, having anything but your own voice in your head sounds like the definition of mental illness, but I’d never considered that there were people with no internal voice at all.
My internal thoughts take not so much the form of an internal monologue, but virtual reality conversations with various other people I encounter regularly, especially if those two perennial threads in my life, JavaScript and invertebrate zoology are involved.
During sleep, some of those virtual reality conversations become full blown IMAX widescreen movie productions with Dolby surround sound. In my dreams, I can turn a simple butterfly hunt into an Indiana Jones style adventure romp. 
Incredible, reminds of luna AI but without the visual errors . I haven’t had a dream since ages, not sure why, I usually sleep for a short period of time so I suggest that’s the problem for the most part
I catch myself monologing at the weirdest times. And then it’s “Why in the hell am I thinking of that?” I had a good one the other day. I was ranting. It was almost a daydream, I swear I can’t remember what it was about but I remember listening to myself and then thinking, “What in the hell am I doing?” Then stopping. Then I went over the conversation I had in my mind again and wondered why I had it. Then I went on with my day.
Like dreams, I imagine these little internal dialogues are unconscious manifestations of stress relief. They tend to happen most frequently after a stressful event, however, as I sit and write I am aware of turning phrases this way and that before selecting the ones I choose to use.
I, like others, did not realize the estimate was as high as 50%. I knew some people did not monologue but I am off to see the research.
Ahh. I do the inner seeing as well. Hence the overinvolvement in my inner monologue, And of course visualization when playing sports. There is something about seeing myself already winning, moving faster, throwing more accurately, that works. I use this, especially for playing poker. I see myself at the table and imagine how I will act winning or losing hands.
HALF OF THIS DID NOT POST:
I see how they got the statistics they did, They used a minimal definition of internal dialoguing. Specifically, internal talking without vocalizations, or gestures. (Mouth movements, hand movements, etc) This would also be a small percent of my internal dialogues.
I GIVE UP - NOTHING IS POSTING. EVERYONE CAN DO THEIR OWN RESEARCH. THE STUDY IS FAULTY.
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Ah, well that would explain a lot. My own way of thinking is definitely a combination of things. My inner voice does seem to be my conscience though, and that’s not something I’d like to think such a high percentage of people were devoid of.
Hi! Yes I do and I hate it sometimes.
Does the propensity change depending on the language they speak? or throughout all populations? Would be interesting to think about.
" Discrepancies in Prevalence
For example, Hurlburt estimates that between 30% and 50% of people frequently experience an inner monologue.7
Soloducha A. What it’s like living without an inner monologue. CBC News.
His research using Descriptive Experience Sampling has indicated that most people don’t experience their inner monologue all the time, and many go through large parts of their days without experiencing it at all.
On the other hand, researchers using different research methods have concluded that the frequency of inner speech is much higher. One study suggests that people experience it 75% of the time.6"
I can’t find the critique of the study done buy Hurlburt. This article mentions differences only but does not critique the study. Self-monologue was defined as a period when lips or body language, hand gestures, or head nods were absent. Self-talk was distinguished from an internal monologue. Hence you get a very high 50% absence rate.
" As a result, researchers have come up with different ways to study inner monologues.2
Alderson-Day B, Fernyhough C. Inner speech: Development, cognitive functions, phenomenology, and neurobiology. Psychol Bull. 2015;141(5):931-965. doi:10.1037/bul0000021
Some of these have included self-report surveys and experience sampling. In the latter, research participants are asked to keep diaries or take part in interviews in order to provide open-ended data about their inner experiences.
An experience sampling method called Descriptive Experience Sampling is often used in studies of inner speech. It was developed by psychology professor Russell Hurlburt and requires that research participants report on their inner experiences at random times throughout the day.5
In short, these different ways of investigating inner monologues have led to inconsistent results. As a result, researchers have come up with different answers to the question of how prevalent they really are.
Some scholars have suggested that everyone has an inner monologue, and it never stops during waking hours.6 Others posit that some people lack an inner speech, adding that even people who do have this experience vary widely in terms of frequency throughout the day.1"
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I attribute my modest success in life (job, mortgage, wife, cat …) to being able to turn off the sound of thought. But I do go on inner rants, usually I’m being interviewed by someone important who’s just dying to hear about my friends from high school. Of course, when it’s not THAT it’s the usual back and forth with my hallucinations. I’ve also gotten the upper hand lately on controlling the conversation with my voices by “reaching out” and having “psychic” conversations with people. The interesting thing about this type of inner dialogue is the quality of the sound of thought. Usually we have our “reading voice” on ready mode. With psychic conversations I get the same quality of sound as I do with the hallucinations. It’s nice after all this time to have captured a voice I can really relate to. It sounds like me speaking.