Is it normal to think in pictures?

80% Normal
11 Comments

Ever since I can remember I have thought in pictures, my family continuously single me out and say that I am completely different because I think differently to other people. It used to really annoy me to be honest, parent-teacher interviews and even at their workplace they would go on about it, even the teachers said I thought differently. They singled me out because it is very different for them, and they haven't met other people who think in pictures...this doesn't mean that I'm an oddity.

But I don't really know...it's the only way I know to think. My family tells me that other people have voices in their head like an 'inner voice' that they think with, well not me.

My head is completely empty of noise...kind of like a state of meditation almost. No inner voice in my mind, I think in pictures and feelings. This has lead to me thinking completely differently from a lot of people, for instance I found School very difficult...I was the kid who never truly got anything and stopped asking questions because the answers gave me no help at all! At high school, my teacher would explain something and it got to the point my friend would kind of 'translate' it so I could understand. My parents used to spend hours with me after school trying to teach me the stuff that I should have learnt at school but didn't go in my brain, even they had trouble. Over the years I have found that my main trouble back then was when I asked for help, everyone dumbed down what they were saying which made it all worse, where they should have worded it differently or given me the bigger picture.

Now, believe it or not, I'm at University and understanding everything fine!

Is this normal? Who else thinks in pictures? And has anyone else had similar experiences?

Voting Results
80% Normal
Based on 59 votes (47 yes)
Help us keep this site organized and clean. Thanks!
[ Report Post ]
Comments ( 11 )
  • Ooh_and_Ahh
    8 years ago

    Do you have photographic memory?

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
  • FunkyHuskyCoolGirlYuki
    10 years ago

    I think like it's a newspaper or a book, both with pictures and text, as well as some mild commentary, like it's a news programme.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
  • zEropoint
    13 years ago

    That's totally awesome! I would love to know what that's like.

    I think in text. Seriously. My thoughts appear in my mind as written words on a page.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
  • sharpievivid
    13 years ago

    your most likely ,gifted and it's now starting to show through. i never really liked school and thought i was stupid, my spelling was never great, Age 14 i realized that other people didn't think in pictures and that i was a kinesthetic learner, you probably do aswell. Google "kinesthetic" for more info. cheers

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
  • blacksheep17
    13 years ago

    About the synesthesia...well maybe... I learnt to read when I was 3 years old...but that was because I saw the words as pictures and could recognise the sounds/word associated with it. But I think most people do that...

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
  • blacksheep17
    13 years ago

    Well..I was left handed for a while when I first went to school but then switched to my right hand because that was what everyone else was doing..But I don't really know. My left hand is stronger and better at most things...

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
  • tracy1989
    13 years ago

    You may want to research "spatial thinking". It is not the norm, but it's not uncommon either.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
  • [Old Memory]
    13 years ago

    It's some time since I did my research about this, so I'll see what I can remember...

    Though we are all just humans, our minds works in different ways, more or less. Usually you can split the way you think up in three categories: hearing, doing and seeing (Not what they're really called, but I can't remember >.< ).

    Hearing: Most people have, as you call it, an inner voice which they hear. However, even though most have this voice, the fewest people's mind is working best with the hearing category.

    Doing: Doing is kind of the large way to say it. When you do something, which you don't really think you thought about at first, that is the doing-think-way. Most people's mind work best when doing the doing-think-way.

    Seeing: Seeing is when you think in pictures, just like you do. Very few minds work best when using the seeing category, though most can think in pictures if trying to.

    Most people can use all the different categories, though everybody is best at only one of them. However, it happens from time to other some people work so well with one category, they never use an other. Just like you use your seeing category much and don't use your hearing category that much.

    I hope that you are able to understand what I mean. I'm not the best at explaining things. And as said, it's a long time since I researched about this, so some information might have been twisted by my memory. I could maybe try to make a quick research, but it's midnight here in Denmark, and I'm going to bed. Goodnight. ZZzz..

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
  • [Old Memory]
    13 years ago

    Maybe you have Synesthesia.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
  • ople450
    13 years ago

    I know this may be a weird question. But, are you left handed? Becuase it's vey typical for lefties to think in pictures, like me. And you :D if your left handed that is...

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
  • almostunreadable
    13 years ago

    Wow you must be thinking fast (your brain doesn't have to resolve auditive associations) plus government can't read your mind (lol xD).

    Anyway your writing skills appear excellent, I think your thought process has now developed more, so you can now think very fast (instant pictures + emotions) without any notable drawbacks. I tried to think in pictures too but have found that my brain is too slow to keep up + short term memory was not retaining any useful information (leading me to daydreaming instead of useful thinking you claim to achieve)

    Very interesting indeed.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0