Whenever someone asks which super power you'd like to have, the ability to read someones mind is always an option. While thinking about it, it just made me wonder about how others process thoughts. In the movies, peoples thoughts are extremely articulate. They have entire streams of consciousness that are mentally verbalized. I get that for the purpose of the film or show, it kinda has to be that way. But does that ever happen with you when you're thinking? Do you form personal conversations and sentences? Do you mostly see just images and scenes in your mind? Maybe both equally, or does one over take the other?

For me, it's very rare that if someone were listening to my thoughts, they'd hear actual words. This really only happens sporadically in moments of very clear emotion such as mentally swearing because I forgot to turn off my flat iron and I'm already at work. Or when reading. For me thoughts are almost totally image and emotion based. Images or scenes flash in my mind connected to what I'm thinking about. If there's something I know I need to do, I visualize me doing that very thing instead of mentally saying "oh I need to set my alarm for 6am to go to the gym".

I feel like this is more common than the latter, but I'd like to be sure. What's it like for you?

I'm the opposite, my thought processes are largely verbal. It's just a constant stream of words in my mind and I have a hard time imagining certain things visually with any sort of detail.

kinda related, I also perpetually have a song stuck in my head at absolutely every moment of every day, but it doesn't annoy me for some reason. oftentimes it's just one 4 or 8 bar phrase looped over and over and over again. for the last 9 hours it's the verse riff from Black Sun by DCFC.

I tend to have both, since I animate and draw a bunch, when I'm doing those activities or thinking about things I could do it's obviously going to be largely visual planning, but my day to day thoughts aside from those specific situations are largely verbal, I think a lot of things out in my mind before I say or type them so I don't accidentally say something I really mean lmao. Honestly though, if someone were to read my mind they'd hear a lot of "does this make sense?", "wow, ok, what an asshole", and things of that nature.

My thought processes are mostly visual. And I say mostly because when it comes to everyday activities like "setting my alarm" it's verbal.
Like when I animate or draw it's visual. Before the animation it's just visual storyboarding. When I'm worried it's visual scenes of what I think might happen. When laying in bed the thoughts vary, they can be both depending on what mood I'm in.

I don't really understand my own thought process. It tends to manifest as almost a thread that I just trace to different topics. But I'm good at visualization, so there's that.

When I'm trying to think about or imagine something, I very often actually have conversations in my head with real people that I know, as if we are working as a team to figure something out. Its almost like you see in movies the way that I criticize my own ideas and have my own thoughts while imagining that someone else is providing the thoughts.
plz dont take me to the psych hospital

Quote from Root

When I'm trying to think about or imagine something, I very often actually have conversations in my head with real people that I know, as if we are working as a team to figure something out. Its almost like you see in movies the way that I criticize my own ideas and have my own thoughts while imagining that someone else is providing the thoughts.
plz dont take me to the psych hospital

This is pretty much my mind set all the time. Except the other person who i'm having a conversation with is myself... And i can't turn it off unless i listen to music xD
I'm really good at visualizing how something will turn out. (that has it's pro's and cons). I'm good at visualizing a scenario being described (Again pro's and cons). And yeah.

Quote from Exilement

I'm the opposite, my thought processes are largely verbal. It's just a constant stream of words in my mind and I have a hard time imagining certain things visually with any sort of detail.

kinda related, I also perpetually have a song stuck in my head at absolutely every moment of every day, but it doesn't annoy me for some reason. oftentimes it's just one 4 or 8 bar phrase looped over and over and over again. for the last 9 hours it's the verse riff from Black Sun by DCFC.

Most of the time I'm thinking in this manner, unless I'm working on a visual art piece or dealing with information of that nature.

Quote from Root

When I'm trying to think about or imagine something, I very often actually have conversations in my head with real people that I know, as if we are working as a team to figure something out

I also do this a lot too, often when I'm just sitting and pondering something.

It's a combination between a conversation with another me (the one who usually plays devil advocate) with the added bonus of visual imagery.

I tend to talk to myself, sometimes out loud, between two different consciences (Id and Superego); so future speculation is largely verbal but memories are recalled with imagery with a "feel" of stimulus at the time. Like the one moment I slipped on moss and the numerous "falls" I had in dreams.

My mind is very visual. Im always imagining or picturing things. Im always in constant thought about various things. I
Might be in my classroom sitting down, bu im thinking about what i will write in my will when i die. If you enter my mind you would be bambarded with info.

My mind works in scenarios and future mini predictions. I often have full conversations with myself in my head with other people predicting what they will say and how different actions and phrases I say will affect the outcome.

I basically think in words for the most part though, and am only visual on something if I meditate on it or listen to music to distract the words that constantly streak across my mind.

Most of the time it is a series of images that describes events or possible outcomes.
When I am learning or trying to dissect a movement, a sword spin for exemple, I verbally dissect it in my head to memorize it better.
I also have conversations with myself, bassicly telling myself what to do or how to do something...

That is probably why my comprehension level is so high and why I can learn by myself way faster then most.

Also dont enter my mind, it's fcked up in there. Did you ever read one of the poems or stories I wrote? Damn those are creepy and depressing.

not strictly what is being asked, but here's a flow chart i drew up to explain to somebody how i decide to respond to news about somebody else's problems

it basically illustrates my thought process though so it might answer your question anyway

It's weird because now I'm trying to notice how I think/solve problems, I can't really think properly. Its like Heisenberg in my head.