Wordless Thought

Do you have an inner monologue?
Is it incessant?

It literally just occurred to me that there can be thought without language. Well, it was more of a realization, as everything I've thought that didn't pertain to movement has constantly been translated into language by my brain until that point...as far as I was paying attention. Perhaps to facilitate understanding, perhaps to facilitate storage, but perhaps mainly as a precursor to potential sharing.

We think before we move, but it's fast. Is that speed because we just think, without translating it into language? We don't think: I'm going to grab that cup of coffee and lift it to my mouth, open my mouth slightly, contract this muscle or that to tip the cup. We might monologue, "I could use a drink of coffee," but we just do it. Thought precedes motor function, but it is typically without conversion to language.

If we have no intention of externally communicating our thoughts to another, there is no reason to translate it into language. Will it be beneficial? Have we been slowing our amazing minds down via useless translation?

 It's something I'm going to try practicing - and according to neuroplasticity, anything we practice/do our minds reshape themselves to be better at. Hopefully it will result in faster thought - and less lopsided thought favoring the left hemisphere.