What This Study Is About
Researchers investigated how the ability to hear sounds or voices in one's head relates to personality traits linked to the schizophrenia spectrum. They specifically looked at how "anauralia" (the absence of a mind's ear) and "anendophasia" (the absence of an inner voice) relate to different types of social and perceptual experiences.
How They Studied It
The study included 344 participants who completed several questionnaires. They used the Auckland Auditory Imagery Scale (AAIS) to measure two types of mental hearing: the "mind’s ear" (hearing environmental sounds or music) and the "inner voice" (hearing one's own internal speech). They also measured "schizotypy"—a range of personality traits that, in high amounts, can be related to schizophrenia, including "positive" traits (like unusual perceptions or hearing voices) and "negative" traits (like social withdrawal or lack of emotion). Because the researchers recruited from aphantasia and neurodiversity forums, the group included many people with low or no mental imagery.
What They Found
The study found that people who lack a mind's ear (anauralia) or an inner voice (anendophasia) were less likely to report "positive" schizotypal experiences, such as unusual perceptual feelings. However, those with anauralia were more likely to report "negative" traits, such as feeling socially or emotionally withdrawn. Conversely, people with a very vivid mind's ear were more likely to report higher levels of positive schizotypal traits. Interestingly, visual imagery (the ability to picture things) had a much weaker connection to these traits than auditory imagery did.
What This Might Mean
These findings suggest that our internal "soundscape" is closely tied to how we perceive reality and interact socially. The link between a vivid mind's ear and positive schizotypy suggests that hallucinations might occur when a person's internal imagery is so strong they mistake it for an external sound. For those with anauralia, the lack of internal sound might be related to a different psychological profile characterized by social withdrawal rather than unusual perceptions. However, because the participants were recruited from specific online groups, these results might not represent the general population perfectly.
One Interesting Detail
The researchers found that the "mind's ear" (hearing sounds) and the "inner voice" (internal speech) are distinct; a person could be highly vivid in one but lack the other, and each relates to personality traits in slightly different ways.