La_Fleur Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 Do you think in words or pictures? Or in some other way altogether? This is a topic that always has interested me, and I was just wondering if their were any trends between types of thinking and asexuality. Link to post Share on other sites
5_♦♣ Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 Both-at different times. Sometimes, I easily get a mental picture of whatever someone's talking about, other times I find it impossible to mentally picture something, so instead I mentally write down notes. Link to post Share on other sites
Satin Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 Also both. Sometimes I like to hold inner monologues because it helps me better understand my own thoughts. Verbalising something has this nice effect of making things clearer. But I also often just think in pictures or not quite phrased sentences. It really depends on the situation and topic. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest_49836 Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 I feel like I replay video, so if it's something that was said I see the scene being played and if it was written I see the words more than pronounce them.Also when thinking of what to say, it feels more like video too... this makes it extremely difficult to remember people's names if I cannot see them written. for example, I know all 120 employees' first, last and usernames because I see them, but have good friends who's names I constantly forget because I've never seen it written. Link to post Share on other sites
MC Dusters Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 I think in smells/perfumes quite often. Apart from that, pictures. Link to post Share on other sites
ThePaperRose Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 Usually pictures, colors, feelings, music.. sometimes words, but not often. Link to post Share on other sites
lycanrising Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 I think in smells/perfumes quite often. Huh, that's interesting. I have partial anosmia and so I've never considered the idea of 'smelling' as a thought. Do you think in words or pictures? Or in some other way altogether? This is a topic that always has interested me, and I was just wondering if their were any trends between types of thinking and asexuality. I personally think in emotions, pictures and 'words'. If I'm being described something by another person I will try and put a virtual image with emotions in my head. But if I'm just 'talking to myself' it's just shapeless words. My memory works in a similar way. I'm pretty bad at bringing up an accurate image but I'm much better at 'fuzzy recognition', such as pinning an image to a place I've been, a similar picture or a film or something. But all facts and everything else I remember I do so as words. Do I think there is a trend between asexuality and types of thinking? Unlikely in my opinion, but let's see. Link to post Share on other sites
beckyl Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 Both. When I'm thinking to myself it tends to be words, but I am very good at visualisations as well. I can imagine things pretty clearly - it's a bit like watching TV sometimes. Link to post Share on other sites
lycanrising Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 Both. When I'm thinking to myself it tends to be words, but I am very good at visualisations as well. I can imagine things pretty clearly - it's a bit like watching TV sometimes. I'm jealous, I think it'd be good to be able to accurately recall pictures, and not just now because it's exam period and I would like to see a textbook in my head. Link to post Share on other sites
La_Fleur Posted May 1, 2014 Author Share Posted May 1, 2014 Thank you all for your answers! As for myself, I definitely don't think in pictures. I can't even visualize someone I have known my whole life. I don't think in words either. I think conceptually. Everything to me is a category in a way, and I easily relate things to each other. My friends tell me I have a story for everything. It also makes me able to think about more than one thing at a time, which is helpful sometimes. Link to post Share on other sites
R_1 Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 Pictures,and abstract feelings at once. Link to post Share on other sites
Ehsexual Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 It depends upon what I am thinking. As an artist I find myself thinking about shapes, letters, faces, colors, etc., so I do think in pictures to some degree. Especially when I am painting something larger than a few feet wide, I need to be able to imagine the "visual mathematics" that are necessary to keep everything in-proportion. It's important to note that imagine comes from "image". If I am trying to work out a physics-related idea like moving objects around, as a non-physicist who cannot do math very well, I also use mental pictures to sort out how I expect things to work.If I am thinking about something more theoretical or verbal I do think in words a bit. I have had this discussion with other people before, and I'd like to bring up this question: do you think in a voice and, if so, whose voice? I have found that when I read or think with words I don't apply any sound-pattern or voice to the words. I only think with voices when I am thinking of people speaking, but if it is just ideas or writing then the words are simply inaudible words. I tried to describe this to my family and ex-girlfriend once and it was thoroughly difficult to articulate. I also think with sensations, like smell as someone mentioned, but also tactile things. For example, like I said earlier I do use logic when planning out my paintings, but during the actual painting process I tend to think in terms of physical motions. Rather than thinking "paint a 45 degree line", I think "paint the line that makes my arm feel this way." Link to post Share on other sites
Starbogen Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 Both, and in music, and sometimes in something like music videos. Link to post Share on other sites
lycanrising Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 Thank you all for your answers! As for myself, I definitely don't think in pictures. I can't even visualize someone I have known my whole life. I don't think in words either. I think conceptually. Everything to me is a category in a way, and I easily relate things to each other. My friends tell me I have a story for everything. It also makes me able to think about more than one thing at a time, which is helpful sometimes. I can empathise with the conceptual thinking. I'm not sure I can think of more than one thing at a time, but I'm certainly drawing links on any topic brought up. Link to post Share on other sites
RazorEddie Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 Almost purely words for me. Like Bijoux I have very poor visualization ability. I occasionally get visual hints, like seeing something for a split second in dark fog but that's about it. A friend of mine thinks almost purely in pictures. He has to 'translate' the pictures into words when he speaks. I find it fascinating the ways different people think. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 I lean so strongly to the verbal side that I never really understood how, in role-playing games and such, telepathy tends to get treated as "universal translation". If you were psionic and tried to read my mind, you'd still have me think at you in German and/or English, and if you don't speak these, then nope, you will not be able to make sense of my brainwaves on more than the utmost superficial empathy level. Link to post Share on other sites
SorryNotSorry Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Mostly pictures. But I know that a lot of people see the world in stick-figure vision. Link to post Share on other sites
1/100 of me Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Both I guess. At any given moment there are a million things running through my head. Sometimes it's hard to separate them. Link to post Share on other sites
warrigan Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 i relate a lot to the "conceptual thinking" idea. i don't really think in individual words, more in...ideas? it sometimes makes it hard for me to express myself fully, since i need to come up with the right words as i'm explaining it, but i think it also makes me (somewhat) better at learning new languages, since i don't necessarily need to think and speak in two different languages...i don't need to "reroute" my brain, so to speak. however, i am also a strong visualizer; when i'm trying to remember information i've learned, for instance, i'll see the words on the page in my mind. :) Link to post Share on other sites
WoodwindWhistler Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Words all the way. I'm terrible at visualizing. I mean, if it's something dry like geometry or thinking about the three dimensional structure or repetitive timed movements of something, yeah, I'm excellent at that. But remembering what something looked like, or putting a vivid picture in my head is something that rarely ever happens. I lucid dream often and when I remember it I hardly remember what anything looked like, only what was going on and what effect it was having. I had a dream that was especially vivid, like, one time. I was figuratively scratching my head and going wait, how did this dream go into HD from my normal foggy screen all of the sudden? Link to post Share on other sites
Firlefanz Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 When I try to visualize something, the picture in my mind is quite blurry (if I try to see the face of a friend, or a landscape for example). The image will be rather abstract than concrete (like, there is an idea, but my mind is usually only able to draw a mere sketch), there won't be a 'coherent' image, in my mind are only parts of the picture at a time, with foggy voids in it and often pale colors, and the picture will be of a quality like you only open your eyes one third and maybe cross them a bit. I'm better at thinking in concepts and 'words' (not really proper sentences), but often there will be a blurry image, too. When reading or writing a text, I kind of 'hear' the words in my mind, but there is not really a voice for the sounds (haha maybe it's my own voice? ;) ) and thinking of an object, when bringing it's concept to my mind, I can also imagine it's sound and the written characters (usually looks like standard computer font ;) ).What I find really fascinating is, that my mind is able to 'replay' the voices of people I know or of voice actors (only if I heard someones voice often enough, of course), even if it's just a short 'recording' (like one or two seconds of them laughing or making a sound when they're bugged out, or a few words; basically I hear something typical for the person). For voices I've heard often or that are 'catchy', I can also imagine complete sentences im my mind; but however, it's different for each person and voice, whether I can imagine their voice and to which extent.I guess, I'm not the only one able to do this, but like I said, to me it's a really fascinating ability of the brain. :DOh well... it's not easy to describe those mind-things in English (haha not even in German)... Link to post Share on other sites
Ashmedai Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 I think in a limited fashion of both visual and words. A lot of it comes as, for a lack of a better word, instinct. Things can just pop into my head as something I "know." Link to post Share on other sites
Vampyremage Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Mostly words although I can visualize things when need be. Visualization, however, isn't something that comes especially naturally. I have to intentionally direct my mind to visualize and even then certain details are difficult for me. Words are where my mind naturally resides. Link to post Share on other sites
Turning Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Mostly images if there is no particular reason for my thinking. Like when I'm alone and just letting thoughts go through my mind passively. But mostly in words when I am 'actively' thinking and interacting with people. Depends on the situation really. Link to post Share on other sites
Calligraphette_Coe Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 About equally between words, pictures/drawings and math. Link to post Share on other sites
steeplechasers Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 i think in pictures of words. literally. i see words in text form in my head, or i feel them in spatial relation to each other. i can certainly picture things, but i tend not to unless i am asked to. usually i think in either words, concepts, or spatial maps, though these are much more intuitive and fuzzy than they sound. Link to post Share on other sites
Amathy Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 I think primarily in ideas. They aren't pictures or words, just a concept that takes an abstract form. Sometimes these involve pictures but not always. Does anyone else find its very difficult to explain how you think? Link to post Share on other sites
La_Fleur Posted May 4, 2014 Author Share Posted May 4, 2014 I think primarily in ideas. They aren't pictures or words, just a concept that takes an abstract form. Sometimes these involve pictures but not always. Does anyone else find its very difficult to explain how you think? Yes! How your describing it, I think similarly. I don't have the pictures, but definitely in concepts. I have never been able to properly explain it to another person. I think that is why is fascinates me so much. The human brain is pretty amazing. Link to post Share on other sites
ThaHoward Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Well when I think about like what to do it is in words. But mostly it is in pictures. Especially if I am listening to really loud and good music, I might get "lost" (literally) in my own thoughts, and need to be "woken" to come back. Link to post Share on other sites
Ashmedai Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 I think primarily in ideas. They aren't pictures or words, just a concept that takes an abstract form. Sometimes these involve pictures but not always. Does anyone else find its very difficult to explain how you think? Thats a lot better way of wording it than what I tried. Link to post Share on other sites
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