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My Inner Voice And I
We all have another someone within us.
I recently read an interesting book entitled “Origins — How Earth’s History Shaped Human History”.
A passage that really caught my attention concerned the author’s musings on when human’s began developing the “inner voice.” According to research, animals including our close cousins the chimpanzees are unlikely to possess one, since the development of this aspect of being human is linked to our ability to understand and process language.
This unique aspect of being human is linked to the FOXP2 gene all humans possess. It was the first gene discovered to be associated with speech and language and was subsequently dubbed “the language gene.” Recent gene research on other members of the human family have shown the Neanderthals to also be part of this speaking group.
What is the inner voice? According to Healthline.com, it is also referred to as “internal dialogue,” or “the voice inside your head.” This internal monologue is the result of certain brain mechanisms that cause you to “hear” yourself talk in your head without actually speaking and forming sounds.
An example of my own personal experience with this very annoying subconscious critic is my ongoing struggle with myself to carry out a program of post heart surgery exercises every morning…