There is a fairly large group of people with overactive brains. Only half of people talk to themselves with inner monologues, according to therapist Kyle Killian. Others can simply be, without constantly managing a million thoughts and talking to themselves internally.
They live simpler lives, but also less reflective. On the other hand, there are people whose brains never sit still and are constantly analyzing the world around them. They are introspective, but certain phrases they say in casual conversation give them away.
There are certain phrases that are often said by people whose brains never sit still and are constantly analyzing every interaction:
1. ‘What if it goes wrong?’
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People who have a million thoughts running through their heads at any given time can’t help but ask questions like “What if it all goes wrong?” But for people who prefer to turn off their minds and cling to blissful ignorance, these questions can feel alarming and frightening.
Therefore, according to a study from Frontiers in Evolutionary Neuroscienceintelligent people are often more anxious. They can’t help but constantly consider the worst-case scenario and adopt pessimistic attitudes because their minds are always resorting to all possible outcomes and possibilities.
2. ‘I play devil’s advocate’
People who play devil’s advocate are challengers. They push back on everything that happens in a conversation. For smart people it is a way to solve problems on a deeper level and control everything, but for others it is simply a expired to chase attention and a sense of superiority.
While this perspective can sometimes spark more interesting, productive conversations, in the wrong environments or around insecure people, it can just feel invalid. It takes on a negative, defensive vibe, even when it’s not meant to be. So yes, it helps make conversations stimulating for deep thinkers, but for everyone else it feels isolating.
3. ‘I need a second’
Many people with deep thinking minds, including the most intelligent people, prefer their alone time to constant socializing because they need space to think. They cannot go inward and reflect if they are constantly managing a million distractions for everything else.
While getting together to work together can help them solve complex problems quickly, you’ll often hear them use these kinds of phrases in more casual conversations.
4. ‘Should I rewrite this?’
While thinking a lot and being willing to go inward can be incredibly useful traits when solving complex problems, there are also a lot of overthinking tendencies that naturally erupt in the lives of these people. Of course they have considered everything, but that also means they have to worry about all the things they have uncovered in their minds.
Even with simple things like sending a text, they are to guess and consider every last misunderstanding that could take place. Even in informal situations, they always ask for a second opinion and ask questions like this just to make sure they don’t come across the wrong way.
5. ‘I might think about this…’
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Most of them self-aware people accept and act on their inner thoughts and needs, but they must also have the tools to be aware of them before making changes. Sometimes this process is empowering and soothing. Other times, acknowledging all these thoughts only adds more anxiety and complexity to the table.
They are self-aware enough to know that they delve too deeply into things and overthink things, but they can’t help but express their stress to get it off their chest.
6. ‘If only I had done it differently’
Seam behavioral scientist James R. Langabeer explains, we often regret the decisions and choices we think about the longest. The happiest people learn to commit and accept their choices without too much thought because they refuse to go their own way and miss opportunities as a result of being too busy in their heads.
This is why you will constantly hear someone with a deeply analytical mind go into their past with phrases like “if only I had done it differently.” They can’t let go of old choices because they’re obsessed with unpacking how things couldn’t have been or how different their lives would be if they made a different choice.
7. ‘But I don’t understand?’
Many people with overthinking tendencies are so used to figuring everything out and being prepared for everything that could go wrong that the uncertainty threatens. They cannot understand why someone would willingly choose to go into something they are not sure about or are not an expert in, why questions like this are so common in casual conversation.
Unfortunately, which a study from Frontiers in Psychiatry explains that this intolerance of uncertainty only dampens their positive moments in life and reinforces their negativity and anxiety.
8. ‘I think out loud’
Although it tends to be strange to other people and seems odd in conversations, speaks loudly for ourselves is actually incredibly healthy. Especially for solving problems and unwinding thought spirals, it does thinking out loud support better cognitive function and processing.
For people with overthinking tendencies who have tons of thoughts and feelings all the time, this is the kind of phrase you’ll often hear from them when things get complicated.
9. ‘I keep coming back to this’
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While the average person can easily gloss over things and let go of what they don’t understand, someone who is used to being incredibly analytical uses phrases like this instead. They can’t process uncertainty well, so they keep coming back until they get clarity.
Despite being around cocky people on a daily basis, there pretend they know things and overestimate their own abilitiesthese complex thinkers have enough humility to admit they don’t know anything.
10. ‘Can we talk it through?’
Yes, the most complex thinkers talk out loud to themselves all the time to process and understand things. But sometimes talking things through in simple terms with another person is all they need to connect the dots.
While these conversations can sometimes feel repetitive, their ability to ask for help benefits everyone involved. Seam a Stanford report explains, the one who asks gets knowledge and perspective, but the one who offers support also feels more valued and important.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & politics and gender studies, focusing on psychology, relationships, self-help and human interest stories.
