I read that your brain processes approximately 70,000 thoughts a day. Fascinating, right? That little fact was the catalyst for creating The Medley. But then, I recently heard Tony Robbins casually throw out the number 167,000 thoughts per day. Wait—what? How did we more than double the original estimate?

Which begs the real question: Who in the hell is actually counting this stuff?

The more I thought about it (sh*t, there’s another one for the tally), the more I realized that measuring the number of thoughts a person has is a bit like trying to count how many unread emails are in your inbox—overwhelming, shame-inducing, and why bother? But scientists love a challenge, so here’s how they attempt it:

1. Self-Reporting & Thought Sampling

Method: Participants get randomly prompted by an app or device to record their thoughts throughout the day.

How it works: Over time, researchers analyze these notes to estimate the frequency and nature of thoughts.

Limitations: This method depends on self-awareness and honesty. Also, who has time to write down every fleeting thought? Imagine: “3:42 PM: Just realized ‘aardvark’ is a weird name for an animal.”

2. Brain Activity Monitoring (The Sci-Fi Approach)

Method: Neuroimaging tools like fMRI or EEG track brain activity to infer mental states.

How it works: Specific neural patterns correlate with different types of cognition, helping researchers estimate thought frequency.

Limitations: Expensive, complicated, and still doesn’t provide an exact count. It’s like trying to determine a novel’s word count by staring at a book cover.

3. Word Association & Verbal Reports

Method: Participants either speak their thoughts aloud or complete word-association tasks.

How it works: More words = more thoughts, right? (Tell that to people who type “k” as a full response.)

Limitations: This only captures verbal thoughts—meaning non-verbal thinkers, inner monologue debates, and existential dread at 2 AM aren’t factored in.

4. Mathematical Models & Theoretical Estimates

Method: Cognitive scientists estimate thought frequency based on brain processing speeds.

How it works: If your brain processes X amount of info per second and a “thought” is Y units of information, then voilà—math magic!

Limitations: This method assumes thoughts have a standard size and processing time. But does a fleeting meme in your head count the same as a full-blown existential crisis?

5. Mind-Wandering Studies

Method: Researchers study how often people’s minds drift away from a task.

How it works: Turns out, we spend about 47% of our waking hours mentally checked out. (So if you just zoned out for a second—congrats, you’re normal.)

Limitations: This only tracks random thoughts, not structured thinking. Plus, it suggests half of us are mentally elsewhere most of the time—which really explains a lot about Zoom meetings. “You’re on mute….”

So… Why Do These Thought Counts Vary So Much?

The wild range of estimates (60,000 vs. 167,000) comes down to:

✔️ How we define a “thought” – Is it a complete idea? A passing image? A subconscious process?

✔️ What gets counted – Do repetitive worries, intrusive thoughts, and daydreams make the cut?

✔️ Individual differences – Some people (overthinkers, yes YOU) naturally have more mental chatter than others.

Final Thought (Or Maybe the 70,001st?)

There’s no definitive way to measure how many thoughts we have each day. The numbers floating around are educated guesses, not hard data. But one thing’s for sure: your mind is an overactive, idea-churning machine.

And on that note:

Thought # 69,998: How many bat jokes did I hear in 2020 that were actually funny?Thought # 69,999: What should I make for dinner?

Thought # 70,000: Why can’t we all just get along? – Rodney King.