Yon Party Favors

It's Friday and you might find yourself at a dinner party. Let's make interesting conversation. Maybe you drop one of these fascinating nuggets...

Inner Dialogue vs. Other Stuff?

Did you know that not everyone has an inner-dialogue?

When I first learned this, I heard 50% of people don't have an inner dialogue. Turns out the numbers break down more like this:

• Constant inner monologue → about 30–50% of people report they have a steady stream of words in their head.
• Occasional / situational inner monologue → probably the largest group, around 40–60%. They switch between words, images, and feelings depending on the task.
• No inner monologue at all → a smaller group, maybe 5–10%, say they basically never “hear” words in their head.

When I stopped to think about it, it was interesting to try and evaluate where I fall on this spectrum. Turns out my brain is chattering away like a 5th-grader on 20 mg of Adderall at all times.

Memory Perspective Swap

How do you recall yourself in memories?

When you recall a memory, some people relive it through their own eyes (first-person), while others watch it like a movie of themselves (third-person). And people usually assume their way is the only way.

Personally, I can't fathom the third-person thing. I can't even do it when I try for a photo. It's always a big mystery to me what I am going to look like from a third-person perspective.

“Blind Spot” in Vision

What the hell are we looking at?

Every human eye has a literal blind spot where the optic nerve attaches — but your brain just fills it in. You’re missing part of reality all the time and never notice.

Memory Hole: Blind Spot in History

JFK had an interesting take on Hitler. There are real quotes floating around from John F. Kennedy’s 1945 diary, written when he was a 28-year-old journalist visiting Germany just after WWII.

Kennedy in his diary:

• He described Hitler as “the stuff of legends” and speculated that “he had in him the stuff of which legends are made.”
• He also wrote that “Hitler will emerge from the hate that now surrounds him and come to be regarded as one of the most significant figures who ever lived.”

What would redeem Hitler from the hate surrounding him? Why did so many years of your life pass without hearing something like this? Does it make you uncomfortable to read this? Is this forbidden knowledge?

Have a great weekend!