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The voice in your head may help you recall and process words. But what if you don’t have one?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/derek-arnold-106381">Derek Arnold</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em></p> <p>Can you imagine hearing yourself speak? A voice inside your head – perhaps reciting a shopping list or a phone number? What would life be like if you couldn’t?</p> <p>Some people, including me, cannot have imagined visual experiences. We cannot close our eyes and conjure an experience of seeing a loved one’s face, or imagine our lounge room layout – to consider if a new piece of furniture might fit in it. This is called “<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-blind-and-deaf-mind-what-its-like-to-have-no-visual-imagination-or-inner-voice-226134">aphantasia</a>”, from a Greek phrase where the “a” means without, and “phantasia” refers to an image. Colloquially, people like myself are often referred to as having a “blind mind”.</p> <p>While most attention has been given to the inability to have imagined visual sensations, aphantasics can lack other imagined experiences. We might be unable to experience imagined tastes or smells. Some people cannot imagine hearing themselves speak.</p> <p>A <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/we-used-to-think-everybody-heard-a-voice-inside-their-heads-but-we-were-wrong">recent study</a> has advanced our understanding of people who cannot imagine hearing their own internal monologue. Importantly, the authors have identified some tasks that such people are more likely to find challenging.</p> <h2>What the study found</h2> <p>Researchers at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09567976241243004">recruited 93 volunteers</a>. They included 46 adults who reported low levels of inner speech and 47 who reported high levels.</p> <p>Both groups were given challenging tasks: judging if the names of objects they had seen would rhyme and recalling words. The group without an inner monologue performed worse. But differences disappeared when everyone could say words aloud.</p> <p>Importantly, people who reported less inner speech were not worse at all tasks. They could recall similar numbers of words when the words had a different appearance to one another. This negates any suggestion that aphants (people with aphantasia) simply weren’t trying or were less capable.</p> <h2>A welcome validation</h2> <p>The study provides some welcome evidence for the lived experiences of some aphants, who are still often told their experiences are not different, but rather that they cannot describe their imagined experiences. Some people feel anxiety when they realise other people can have imagined experiences that they cannot. These feelings may be deepened when others assert they are merely confused or inarticulate.</p> <p>In my own <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1374349/full">aphantasia research</a> I have often quizzed crowds of people on their capacity to have imagined experiences.</p> <p>Questions about the capacity to have imagined visual or audio sensations tend to be excitedly endorsed by a vast majority, but questions about imagined experiences of taste or smell seem to cause more confusion. Some people are adamant they can do this, including a colleague who says he can imagine what combinations of ingredients will taste like when cooked together. But other responses suggest subtypes of aphantasia may prove to be more common than we realise.</p> <p>The authors of the recent study suggest the inability to imagine hearing yourself speak should be referred to as “anendophasia”, meaning without inner speech. Other authors had suggested <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8551557/">anauralia</a> (meaning without auditory imagery). Still other researchers have referred to all types of imagined sensation as being different types of “imagery”.</p> <p>Having <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0010945222000417">consistent names</a> is important. It can help scientists “talk” to one another to compare findings. If different authors use different names, important evidence can be missed.</p> <h2>We have more than 5 senses</h2> <p>Debate continues about how many senses humans have, but some scientists reasonably argue for a <a href="https://www.sensorytrust.org.uk/blog/how-many-senses-do-we-have#:%7E:text=Because%20there%20is%20some%20overlap,sensation%20of%20hunger%20or%20thirst.">number greater than 20</a>.</p> <p>In addition to the five senses of sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing, lesser known senses include thermoception (our sense of heat) and proprioception (awareness of the positions of our body parts). Thanks to proprioception, most of us can close our eyes and touch the tip of our index finger to our nose. Thanks to our vestibular sense, we typically have a good idea of which way is up and can maintain balance.</p> <p>It may be tempting to give a new name to each inability to have a given type of imagined sensation. But this could lead to confusion. Another approach would be to adapt phrases that are already widely used. People who are unable to have imagined sensations commonly refer to ourselves as “aphants”. This could be adapted with a prefix, such as “audio aphant”. Time will tell which approach is adopted by most researchers.</p> <h2>Why we should keep investigating</h2> <p>Regardless of the names we use, the study of multiple types of inability to have an imagined sensation is important. These investigations could reveal the essential processes in human brains that bring about a conscious experience of an imagined sensation.</p> <p>In time, this will not only lead to a better understanding of the diversity of humans, but may help uncover how human brains can create any conscious sensation. This question – how and where our conscious feelings are generated – remains one of the great mysteries of science.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/230973/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/derek-arnold-106381">Derek Arnold</a>, Professor, School of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-voice-in-your-head-may-help-you-recall-and-process-words-but-what-if-you-dont-have-one-230973">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Mind

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Tom Gleeson's fiery monologue takes no prisoners

<p>Tom Gleeson mercilessly came for Pete Evans at the <em>AACTA Awards</em>, along with a few other Australian celebrities.</p> <p>The comedian did not hold back on the controversial chef during his opening monologue at the awards on Monday night.</p> <p>“I’m your host for this evening, I’ll be taking you through the night and I’ll be choosing my words very carefully because TV shows used to get cancelled, (but) now people get cancelled … like Pete Evans,” Gleeson began.</p> <p>“He was dropped from<em> I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here</em>. It’s a missed opportunity for Channel 10 though, the first challenge could have been ‘try this vaccination’ … or ‘stand under this 5G tower’ … or ‘be credible’.”</p> <p>The comedian also targeted the programs at <em>SAS Australia</em>, and <em>Plate of Origin.</em></p> <p>“SAS Australia was a huge success this year for Channel 7. Congratulations, they put celebrities through their paces.</p> <p>“It was so entertaining that they almost forgot about the war crimes,” Gleeson said.</p> <p>“This year Channel 7 also poached Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston. They left <em>MasterChef </em>to launch <em>Plate Of Origin</em>, which I suspect completed its only season,” he said about the low-rating show.</p> <p>“Plate of Origin was a TV competition where Gary Meighan and Matt Preston unknowingly competed to answer the question, ‘Was MasterChef’s ratings success due to the talent or the format?’ Spoiler alert, it was the format.”</p> <p>The Australian comedian also hilariously roasted former Studio 10 host Kerri-Anne Kennerly.</p> <p><em>“Studio 10 </em>on Channel 10 had a big clean out. Joe Hildebrand gone, Natarsha Belling gone. Kerri-Anne gone,” he said.  </p> <p>“After getting a Gold Logie, Kerri-Anne called me a wimp for not going to<em> Studio 10,</em> so I’d just like to say to Kerri-Anne, who is probably watching from home because she’s not invited, or on air …</p> <p>“I’d just like to let you know Kerri-Anne that I didn’t go on<em> Studio 10 </em>because I enjoy performing to an audience!”</p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7823058/kerri-anne-kennerley.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/1c5010d5012b4711a96811d661b190e2" /></p> <p>“There are more people in this room socially distanced than who watch <em>Studio 10.</em></p> <p>“Going to <em>Studio 10</em> is like yelling your opinions into an empty shoebox. It’s pointless behaviour.</p> <p>“If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it fall, you’re on <em>Studio 10.</em></p> <p>The AACTA Awards presented by Foxtel Ceremony will air on Foxtel Arts, December 6 at 7.30 pm AEDT.</p>

TV

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“Best two minutes of Australian TV ever”: Q&A monologue for the ages

<p><span>A two-minute monologue at the end of last night’s episode of </span><em>Q&amp;A</em><span> has been hailed as the “best two minutes of Australian TV ever”.</span></p> <p><em>Neighbours</em><span> actor Meyne Wyatt, a Wongutha-Tamatji man from Kalgoorlie, spoke passionately against injustice towards Indigenous Australians in the emotionally charged episode, which focused on racism and black deaths in custody, following the weekend’s nationwide Black Lives Matter protests.</span></p> <p><span>But it was his words towards the end of the show that really resonated with viewers, resulting in an influx of support.</span></p> <p><span>In a chilling speech from his play, City of Gold, Wyatt condemned police brutality and spoke about black identity as he became visibly emotional.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Meyne Wyatt closes <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/QandA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#QandA</a> with a monologue from his play, City of Gold. <a href="https://t.co/9ALFIYRAnq">pic.twitter.com/9ALFIYRAnq</a></p> — QandA (@QandA) <a href="https://twitter.com/QandA/status/1269982640494411776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2020</a></blockquote> <p><span>“I’m always going to be a black friend, aren’t I? That’s all anyone ever sees. I’m never just an actor, I’m an Indigenous actor. Hey, I love reppin’, but I don’t hear old Joe Bloggs over here being called ‘white Anglo-Saxon actor blah di blah,’” Wyatt began.</span></p> <p><span>“I’m always in the black show, the black play. I’m always the angry one, the tracker, the thief. Sometimes I just want to be seen for my talent, not my skin colour, not my race. I hate being a token, box to tick, part of some ‘diversity’ angle. ‘Oh, what are you whingeing for, you’re not a real one, anyway – you’re only part.’</span></p> <p><span>“Well, what part then? My foot? My arm? My leg? You’re either black or not. You wanna do a DNA test, come suck my blood.</span></p> <p><span>“’But how will we move forward if we dwell on the past?’ That’s your privilege. You get to ask that question. Ours, we can dance and be good at sport. You go to weddings, we go to funerals.</span></p> <p><span>“‘No no, you’re not your ancestors, its not your fault you have white skin’ – but you do benefit from it.</span></p> <p><span>“You can be OK – me? I have to be exceptional. I mess up, I’m done. There’s no path back for me, there’s no road to redemption. Being black and successful comes at a cost. You take a hit whether you like it or not, because you want your ‘blacks’ quiet and humble.</span></p> <p><span>“You can’t stand up, you have to sit down. Ask a brother boy, Adam Goodes. A kid says some racist sh*t – not ignorant, racist – calling a blackfella an ‘ape’. Come on man, we were flora and fauna before 1967 – no actually, we didn’t exist at all.</span></p> <p><span>“He got it. It was a kid – this was a learning moment, he taught that kid a lesson. But they didn’t like that – a black man standing up for himself, no, they didn’t like that.</span></p> <p><span>“‘You shut up boy, you stay in your lane, every time you touch a ball we’re going to boo your a**e’. So he showed them a scary black, throwing imaginary spears and sh*t – but did they like that? Oh, nah nah nah, they didn’t like that.</span></p> <p><span>“Every arena, every stadium, they booed him. ‘It’s coz the way the flog plays football’ – bulls**t. No-one booed him the way they booed him until he stood up and said something about race.</span></p> <p><span>“The second he stood up, everyone came out of the woodwork to give him sh*t. And what, he’s supposed to sit there and take it? Well I’ll tell you right now – Adam Goodes has taken it. His whole life, he’s taken it.</span></p> <p><span>“I’ve taken it. No matter what, no matter how big, how small, I’ll get some racist sh*t on a weekly basis, and I’ll take it. You know, it used to be that in your face – ‘You boong, you black dog, coon’ kind of sh*t, ‘Gonna chase you down the ditch with my baseball bat’ skinhead sh*t … when I was 14 years old.</span></p> <p><span>“But nah, ‘We’ve come forward, we’re progressive, we’re going to give you that small subtle sh*t’. Sh*t that’s always been there, but it’s not that obvious, in your face s**t, it’s that, ‘Ooh no we can’t be seen to be racist’ kind of sh*t.</span></p> <p><span>“Security guard following me around the store, asking to search my bag. Walking up to the counter first, and being served second, or third or last kind of sh*t. Hailing down a cab to see it slow down, look at my face, then drive off. More than once, more than twice – more than once, twice, on any one occasion, yeah, that sh*t I’ll get weekly.</span></p> <p><span>“Sometimes I’ll get it days in a row, if I’m really lucky. And that’s the kind of sh*t I’m letting them think they’re getting away with, because to be honest, I can’t be bothered. I can’t be bothered teaching their ignorant a**es on a daily basis. I don’t have the energy or the enthusiasm. It’s exhausting, and I like living my life.</span></p> <p><span>“But on occasion, when you’ve caught me on a bad day, where I don’t feel like taking it, I’ll give you that ‘angry black’ you’ve been asking for and I’ll tear you a new a**ehole. Not because of that one time, but because of my whole life. At least Adam (Goodes) danced … and they still p**sed and moaned.</span></p> <p><span>“But it’s not about that one time, it’s about all those times. And seeing us as animals and not as people, that sh*t needs to stop. Black deaths in custody, that sh*t needs to stop.</span></p> <p><span>“I wanna be what you want me to be, I wanna be what I wanna be. Never trade your authenticity for approval. Be crazy. Take a risk. Be different. Offend your family. Call them out. Silence is violence. Complacency is complicity.</span></p> <p><span>“I don’t wanna be quiet, I don’t wanna be humble, I don’t wanna sit down.”</span></p> <p><span>The monologue quickly caught traction on Twitter, with comedian Nazeem Hussain describing it as “the best two minutes of Australian television ever”.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Ummm did we just watch <a href="https://twitter.com/meynewyatt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@meynewyatt</a> deliver the best two minutes of Australian TV ever??! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/QandA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#QandA</a></p> — Nazeem Hussain (@nazeem_hussain) <a href="https://twitter.com/nazeem_hussain/status/1269973514515124226?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2020</a></blockquote> <p><span>Others also praised the actor.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none"> <p dir="ltr">Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/QandA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Qanda</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/meynewyatt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@meynewyatt</a> This has to go global. This is more than a statement from the heart. This is a roar from a people a roar from history through a man who will be heard. Let it rip Tweeps!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/blacklivesmatteraustralia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#blacklivesmatteraustralia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TheDailyShow?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheDailyShow</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/colbertlateshow?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@colbertlateshow</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/sethmeyers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sethmeyers</a></p> — DavidW2035 (@DavidW2035) <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidW2035/status/1269985307098705920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2020</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">That monologue by <a href="https://twitter.com/meynewyatt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@meynewyatt</a> might be the most incredible and shattering thing I’ve seen on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/qanda?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#qanda</a>.</p> — Benjamin Law 羅旭能 (@mrbenjaminlaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/mrbenjaminlaw/status/1269973645398388736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2020</a></blockquote> <p><span>“Powerful monologue … strong, enriching, empowering, graphic and sadly one that reflects something all to real with how we view and treat Indigenous Australians,” one person tweeted.</span></p> <p><span>Another tweeted a video of Wyatt’s speech, and wrote: “‘Silence is violence.’ Watch ALL of THIS. Sit with the discomfort, the reality, all of it. Sit with our racism. Understand the privilege and complicity of having a choice to ignore it. Act, do, learn, DO NOT be silent.”</span></p> <p><span>Earlier in the program, Wyatt told the panel – which included Sydney actor and writer, Nakkiah Lui, lawyer and human rights advocate Nyadol Nyuon, Federal Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers and NSW Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg. – that he was tired of sitting and being “the nice guy” while Australia’s institutions were “killing us”.</span></p> <p><span>“It’s been continuous since Captain Cook landed on these shores. It’s still happening. It’s a denial of our existence,” he said.</span></p> <p><span>“We’re demanding. We’re demanding justice. And those protests in America – they’re not protests, they’re demanding it.</span><br /><span>“There are riots and people are talking about order. Who cares about order if there’s no justice? We want justice. I’m sick of talking about being in order – you know what? It doesn’t work. Being peaceful – peaceful protests – don’t work. You’re never saved. You’re never happy for what we do.”</span></p> <p><span>Wyatt continued to raise his voice as the audience sat silent.</span></p> <p><span>“I’ve got to sit here and be the nice guy,” he said. “I don’t want to be the nice guy no more. I’m sick of it. Everyone sits there and listens to you be this animal. I don’t want to be an animal no more.”</span></p>

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