Like a lot of people possessing a great mind, I find it helpful to think thoughts out loud. And as time goes on, I am less concerned about doing so in public. So, it’s not uncommon for me to find myself on, say, a city bus, audibly muttering something like, “Shitburgers… they think they’re better than me? I will fuck them up! I will fuck up anyone who fucks with me!” The other patrons of the bus often play along by feigning looks of hatred and disgust which no doubt mask great amusement at and respect for my utterances. I have no doubt that you, the “my so-called penis” reader, have had similar experiences.

Nonetheless, there are times when you can’t actually speak out loud. At those points, you might find yourself thinking in a very concentrated manner, while your lips silently mouth some or all of the words you are thinking. The problem with this practice is you look almost crazier than a person actually thinking out loud. “Does this guy actually think we can’t see his lips moving?” you can envision people around you thinking.

At this point, you’re forced to still your mouth while you think. I was in a teriyaki barbecue place the other day, and found myself in the situation. I was on the verge of yet another great profound truth, and was trying to talk my way through it without actually talking out loud or moving my lips. And I noticed a very interesting sensation. If I only “thought” the thought, there was a powerful sense of anxiety in my body, a mild form of what is often referred to as the heebie-jeebies. My muscles tensed and my stomach was tickled. The only way to find release was to actually move my lips.

This raises an interesting question about the mind. Why is it so important that mental dialogue have some kind of physical release e.g. lips moving, or actual talking? In what way is our interior mental dialogue correlated with the muscles of our mouths and lips?