Are you used to talking to yourself? Don’t worry, this is completely normal behavior! Even better, it seems, it brings you many benefits. Discover the 5 benefits of self-talk.
Talk to yourself to speed up the learning process
First of all, talking to yourself helps activate your memory and thus increase your chances of remembering something. For example, by repeating a list of tasks to accomplish, a person would be more likely to not forget anything. Likewise, by explaining a lesson to be learned out loud to oneself, it can help an individual clarify their thinking and thus retain an idea more easily. According to psychologist Johanna Rozenblum, “talking alone is beneficial for some people because it is a way to think. Sometimes we need to agree to reason“. She cites the example of children who work a lot orally: “repeating out loud and hearing yourself allows you to better integrate the information.”.
Better manage your emotions by talking to yourself
Another benefit that a person can gain from talking alone is to better control their emotions. Self-talk will allow him to get rid of everything that is going through his head, including his negative thoughts. This is a method that can help reduce stress and reassure yourself.
Talk to yourself to increase your ability to stay focused
Talking to yourself out loud is also a way to stay focused by maintaining your attention on what you are doing. Indeed, a person who verbalizes the action they are carrying out then further stimulates their brain which also takes hearing into account. In a study by scientists at the University of Bagor in the United Kingdom, participants were given a list of tasks to complete. We observe that when they read the list aloud, their concentration and performance increase. Thus speaking out loud develops cognitive benefits. The individual then acts in full awareness and stays concentrated for longer on average.
Increase motivation through self-talk
By talking to yourself alone, a person can also encourage themselves and increase their motivation. Indeed, it would be more pleasant and more motivating to hear a motivational phrase than to simply think it. This would also be linked to the fact that when verbally expressing encouragement, a person tends to use informal terms, which would then be perceived more as external encouragement. In the University of Bagor study, Paloma Mari-Beffa, one of the authors, cites the example of high-level athletes who motivate themselves and give each other instructions, especially out loud, during complicated moments. This practice therefore turns out to be really beneficial because it pushes their brain to focus on their objective.
Feel less alone
Finally, talking to yourself would also make you feel less lonely, by filling the sound void. For example, when watching a film, we sometimes make humorous comments about what we see. According to psychologist Johanna Rozenblum “some people take pleasure in hearing themselves speak, recite, sing. There is nothing strange in doing this if you do it consciously.“. So, talking alone can be seen as enjoying your own company, which is good for morale!
What are the limits to talking to yourself?
Johanna Rozenblum explains “apart from the pathological side called soliloquy where people speak out loud without even realizing it, speaking alone is totally normal“However, although there are many benefits to talking to yourself alone, there are also limits to this. Indeed, in the case where the speech spoken is always negative and demeaning, this will have a harmful impact on the individual who could be led to believe his dark ideas. Another effect which can become worrying, if an individual constantly feels obliged to speak out loud, or worse, to respond to voices he hears. In this case, it is recommended to discuss it with your doctor and/or consult a psychiatrist.
