About a year and a half ago I wrote a blog encouraging my readers to acquaint themselves with their inner critic, that inner voice you can identify using the framework of Transactional Analysis. I think this blog adds to what I wrote in that previous blog.
Have you ever noticed how you constantly make interpretations of your world, especially how those around you interact with you? We all have internal filters that quickly assess the probable meaning of the words, voice tone, and facial expressions of those around us. Our interpretations are how we make sense of our worlds and our relationships. Our computers now can use artificial intelligence – “AI” – to put words to how it is interpreting something we have written. In a similar way, our brains can instantly assess a situation resulting in interpretations which in turn impact our thoughts, reactions, responses, beliefs and behaviors.
Why is this awareness important? Sometimes our instantaneous interpretations are wrong – that person was not mad at me, rather was having a bad day that left them in a grumpy mood, or just because several colleagues standing across the hall were speaking in whispers doesn’t mean they were saying negative things about me.
Let’s consider the research on how many thoughts a person typically has each day. There are some scientists who put the number at 60,000 or even 70,000 while others say it is a much smaller number: around 6,000 per day. That’s still a very big number.
So, what does that mean about what is going on in our brains every day? Here are some insights from Psychology Behind.
“Regardless of whether the number is 6,000 or 60,000, both figures highlight the incredible activity happening in our minds every single day. Here’s what this means:
1. Our Minds Are Always Active
Even during periods of rest or relaxation, the brain is constantly working. Some of this activity involves conscious thought, while much of it happens in the background, guiding our actions and decisions.
2. Repetition Dominates Thinking
Studies suggest that up to 80% of our thoughts are repetitive, meaning we revisit the same ideas, worries, or memories throughout the day. This repetition can help us solve problems, but it can also trap us in cycles of overthinking.
3. Conscious vs. Subconscious Thinking
The discrepancy between 6,000 and 60,000 might also reflect the difference between conscious thoughts (those we are aware of) and subconscious thoughts (those that happen automatically). For instance, driving a familiar route or reacting to stimuli might not register as a “thought” in the same way as consciously solving a problem.”
There is other research that puts the number of thoughts between 12,000 and 60,000. Most of the researchers agree on the numbers of thoughts that are negative. Here is some research from the National Science Foundation:
Tendencies of the mind: In 2005, the National Science Foundation published an article summarizing research on human thoughts per day. It was found that the average person has about 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. Of those thousands of thoughts, 80% were negative, and 95% were exactly the same repetitive thoughts as the day before.
The conclusion is that 97% of our worries are baseless and result from an unfounded pessimistic perception. These baseless worries are a major source of stress, tension and cause of exhaustion not only for the mind, but also for the physical body.
“The website I previously shared with you, Psychology Behind, offers what I think is an important perspective: “Carl Rogers, a renowned psychologist, once stated, ‘The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.’ If we apply this statement to our many thousands of thoughts a day, we realize that acceptance of our chattering mind is a prerequisite for progress. Instead of berating yourself—’Why can’t I stop thinking about that silly incident from last week?’—you accept that your brain is wired for continuous thought generation. You let it be, and that acceptance frees you to choose new, healthier ways to respond. The swirl of thoughts continues, but you’re no longer at its mercy.”
I encourage you to appreciate that you are constantly interpreting your world. Those interpretations lead to your thoughts, feelings, beliefs and behaviors. Many of these are self-critical. By becoming more aware of the internal process of negatively interpreting the outward behaviors of those around you, we all can be critical thinkers of those interpretations by making them fairer and more accurate, i.e., less harsh and critical. When we do this, we can nurture our own mental health and be more open to experiencing the many joys life offers.
Invitation for Reflection
- To what degree do you listen to your internal dialogue. How many of those thoughts are negative?
- Consider the interpretations you made in the last few hours. What were the circumstances? What did you decide was “true?” How did it make you feel? Behave?
- Consider the messages you have received from others about your worth, your intelligence, your abilities. How do you think these influence your many interpretations of yourself?
- For any interpretations that put you down, what internal beliefs are behind them?
- Consider what you might do to make those beliefs and the subsequent interpretations fairer to you? Who might you ask to help you?
Diane Wagenhals
Director Emeritus, Lakeside Global Institute