I found it helpful to read recently that our minds tend to work by associations of this with that, not as full sentences that make sense by themselves. Since it is often assumed that we are both "logical" and "rational" thinkers while at the same time having emotions and being governed by them, it can be helpful to expect related topics, similar people, and impressive opposites to come to mind. Kahneman and Tversky did famous research on our mental tendencies and Kahneman has that book "Thinking: Fast and Slow". I may form an impression and reaction to that guy in microseconds while it might take a lifetime to become familiar with his way of thinking, his background and his knowledge. It is definitely helpful to be aware of both my immediate reaction, and also my slower thoughts and questions and impressions of him.
For most people, there is both a time lapse and a switch to a different process to find words that describe reactions or articulate in comprehensible speech questions and comments that express, at least partially, what thoughts and feelings. Depending on the filters I use, I may take some time to allow expression, either facial or oral, to occur. In addition to filtering and examining thoughts for the results in others that seem probable, I may find my own reactions premature and based on too little time and experience.
I think there are also gender differences between people. It is fashionable right now to focus on similarities and assert equality between the genders but my experience is that one finds differences of what motivates, what encourages and what sustains thinking and communication for women and for men. There seem to be many similarities and no superiority but they do not seem to be identical.
