Internal Dialogue is like Sports Commentary

Adds Life

We love sports commentary when we watch sports (well, I don’t… I don’t like watching sports). The commentators make real money doing this job. The silent game would not be nearly as interesting and fun as the game that has commentary.

Artificial

It is adding life through the commentators' expressions and voice. The commentator can convey his excitement, surprise and anguish through the commentary. But this is the quality of the commentator, not the sport itself. In this sense it is artificial, created by the commentator.

Makes us Feel Intelligent

We can understand the comments and because of this we gain insights that we might not have. Then we feel more intelligent and privy to higher knowledge. That or we disagree, and the also makes us feel more intelligent as if we know better.

Distracts from the Real Thing

The commentary carries us through the slow parts of the game but also distracts us from the movements of that game. It distracts us just a little bit. Our attention is divided between watching the game and listening. It is not a really big deal but our attention is divided.

Embellishes to the point of Unreality

The commentator embellishes things. They become larger than life. This is a distortion of reality. We love it and fall for it. We really believe our ‘take’ is correct and forget that it has been embellished. Our reality becomes a little unreal.

Makes us Crave More

This embellished story is more exciting, it has more color, and it is more vivid than real life. Then we want more. It is more intense than real life.

Makes us Unhappy

This exposure to the intensity makes us unhappy when we return to the uncommented parts of life.So we go back to the commentary.

Our Internal Talk

Our internal talk is just like this commentator. It takes us away from reality and constructs a wonderful exciting inner reality which is not real. We feel more intelligent than we really are. We are blinded by our own internal dialog and even move to the point of not noticing it in many cases. We cannot see the illusion that we ourselves have created.