No, you’re not crazy! Talking through your thoughts is common and a lot of people do this. Here are 5 surprising benefits of talking to yourself.
It’s a fact that most people daydream when they are alone. However, there are some people who daydream loudly; in other words, they talk to themselves. Even if you’re not one of them, it’s highly possible that you’ve met people who do talk to themselves a lot.
You may have heard your mom reminding herself what she should buy from the grocery store for example. When you see such people, you may also have thought that these people are somewhat crazy.
What if self-talk is more intelligent?
According to clinical psychologist Carla Marie Manly, Ph.D. “talking to yourself is not at all ‘crazy’ and that, in fact, it is normal human behavior,”
This article explains why people who talk to themselves aren’t crazy at all; on the contrary, talking to yourself is a powerful tool that boosts your brain.
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5 Benefits Of Talking To Yourself, According To Science
1. Helps to put your thoughts in order
When you have to care about many different things at the same time, it’s probable that your brain will explode! Talking to yourself helps you to organize your thoughts so that you remember what you’ve got to do.
This also helps you balance your needs and put your thoughts in the right order so that you’re able to focus on what you should think about first. You can well prioritize the “significant things” affecting you and realize the “insignificant stuff” that is leaving you drained.
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2. Remembering things
According to Psychologist Charles Fernyhough, the voice in the head and self-talk is important to many cognitive processes.
As mentioned before, talking to yourself can help you remember what you want to do, especially if you repeat it several times. This happens because not only do you think about what you need to do, but you actually can hear it. Hearing is really good for your memory.
So, if you need to remember something when you return home from work, then try saying it out loud repeatedly. The more you hear, the more you focus, and the more you’ll remember it later, which is also known as cognitive restructuring.
3. Allows you to think clearly
One of the advantages of talking to yourself is that it can make thinking quick and more efficient. For instance, if you are searching for an object in your house, it’s easier for you to find it if you say its name out loud, because it boosts visual perception. If you can visually see an object, you can physically see it better.
According to a study, one can enhance their visual system to detect an item by hearing the name of the item. Thus, when you talk out loud, “I have to find my keys” or “where did I keep my keys”, you’re restructuring your brain to get ready to perform better.
As per the research, you have to do this till it strikes naturally to you, which will help you smoothly accomplish your goals and tasks.
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4. Getting to know yourself
Talking to yourself is normal and can improve your self-awareness. That happens because you name some thoughts that were hidden in your head. If you are confused about something, try talking about it out loud; it will help you understand more and more about how you really feel.
When you’re talking to yourself, you get to listen to your inner voice, and figure out what you truly want. You will always find that people who engage in self-talk and listen to themselves, know themselves best. That’s how this practice fosters self-reliance.
Another study published in Procedia — Social and Behavioral Sciences found motivational benefits of self talk before a game started. It helped the basketball players to encourage themselves. It helped them gain that “can-do” perception and attitude as a result they ended up passing the ball faster.
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5. Reaching your goals
You might think that you really know your goals and how to achieve them. The hardest thing about picking a goal is that once you pick it, you will have to commit yourself to doing it. This scares many people because once they commit, they have to stop talking about their goals and start working towards them.
Psychologist Linda Sapadin reports that talking to yourself is good for you, especially
When you chant your goals out loud “focuses your attention, reinforces the message, controls your runaway emotions, and screens out distractions.”
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Jerry A. Schmidt (an Assistant Professor of Counselor Education at the University of Denver and a psychologist in private practice.) in his paper Cognitive Restructuring: The Art of Talking To Yourself says “As You Think So Shall You Feel” because there are close connections between thoughts and feelings.
A negative thought immerses your brain in unpleasant fantasies and vice versa when you have positive thoughts. That’s why positively talking to yourself can be beneficial
The truth is that you need to say your goals out loud every day so that you don’t lose your way by forgetting who you are and what you want. Speak them out loud many times daily and your picture of achieving these goals will become clearer to you.
This will help your brain engage in positive and pleasant fantasies as a result you wish to increase its frequency. You may use internal self-payoffs as reinforcers for positive thought and self-talk according to Jerry Schmidt.
How often do you engage in self-talk? Are you ready to reap the above brain benefits of talking to yourself?
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