I sure think in words and writing as well. I like numbers sometimes too, but that is not so common.

I think we do visualize the world in the way we usually work with it. A person who is of the written word will see the literary elements and relations to books in things around them, and a visual person will think of how something would look in a movie, or how a fun event is like a film scene. Our views are certainly colored by what we do and how we process.

Interesting ideas. I find that it is a combo of both for me. Language results in pictures when I solve problems. I'm no the most linear thinker, so usually I will write down the problem. Then I”ll sleep on it, and many times I”ll come up with the solution when I wake up. Not the most sophisticated process :), but that's my two cents on the subject.

When I think, I don't think in words, or in pictures, or in anything very concrete like that. I tend to say that I think in abstracts, in concepts. I take things in (I'm an observer), and I look at the whole. Sometimes this makes it difficult for me to work through a problem, and I find it helpful to talk or write it out to make sense of it all.

On the other hand, my husband thinks in many, many words… Endless words, endless thoughts and analyzations. He was on a medication once that made him go, “It's weird…I look at that tree, and I just see a tree. It's green and brown.” I welcomed him to my world.

As for conditioning ourselves… I'm not sure that I agree, but it's a very interesting concept!

A friend of mine once explained to me the way in which she mentally visualized time: like a clock, with markings on the edges for the tasks or appointments or whatever she had to do. My way of visualizing time, however, is more like a sine wave, winter at the top, summer at the bottom, with sections of black for sections of time with specific activities. Curious, we asked other people and got all sorts of different answers. Some had mental calendars, others had lists, one person even recalled pictures in her head of what she was going to be doing.

Problem solving seems like it would be a similar thing, dependent on the person. I myself tend to approach things both through a visual method, thinking in terms of graphs or charts, and a verbal method, but the type of problem depends on the method. Something more conceptual, like thinking through philosophical or literary problems, requires words. Practical matters, like math and directions and scheduling and organizing, requires a picture.

“As in, if you’re a film buff, you visualize things in movie form; if you’re a bookworm, you narrate things in prose.” I am not so sure. Poets write stuff , but what they describe imagery. So to a poet, both pictures and words matter.

Also, I would like some clarification on the last parts. I don't exactly understand what you mean by 'people's opinions'. If you could expand a little bit, I would love it!

I love the blog post. This seems to be a very interesting theme and I'm sure you're gonna get people talking.

PS: I just came across your blog. I love it. Subscribed to RSS! Keep rocking mate!

Cheers

Ajay