Have you ever caught yourself talking to yourself while doing something? When you realized this, it may have worried you, but if you stop to think about it, you surely know many people who you have heard talking to themselves. Perhaps your mother or grandmother while they were cooking were saying “where did I put the onions” or “I could swear I left the frying pan here” or “this is missing something.” And you probably didn’t think they were crazy.
So, Is talking to yourself normal? In this Psychology-Online article, we resolve your doubts.
Is talking to yourself bad?
Contrary to what many people think, there is nothing wrong with talking to yourself. In fact, it helps to organize ideas, to follow the steps to solve a task and to memorize in some cases.
If you have caught yourself talking to yourself on some occasion, remembering what you have to do or what cannot be missing in your bag, you have nothing to worry about, even if it is another person who has caught you talking to yourself, nothing happens, He is not going to think that you are crazy or that you have a problem. In general, talking to yourself is neither bad nor abnormal.
However, there are times when talking to yourself can be a symptom of a mental disorder. In these cases, we must look for other symptoms that confirm the suspicions.
In the psychosisthe person does not talk alone with himself, but rather responds to visual or auditory hallucinations. These conversations are easily recognized because they lack logic and are usually unrelated to reality. These hallucinations can occur when you suffer from , or as a consequence of drug use, for example. And in any of these cases, evaluation and appropriate treatment are needed.
Is it normal to talk to yourself out loud?
Not only is it normal and usual, but it has many benefits:
- It helps us motivate ourselves. If we tell ourselves expressions like “cheer up,” “you can do it,” “you’re doing it,” etc., we will get enough motivation to continue doing the task and finish it.
- Helps memorize. Reading or studying aloud promotes memorization.
- Reduces anxiety and stress.
- It allows a better interpretation of problems or events. Many times, by saying things out loud they are seen more clearly.
- It makes it easy to follow steps to solve a complicated task.
- Favors decision making.
- It allows us to positively reinforce ourselves during the completion of the task. This is highly recommended for difficult or heavy tasks.
- It helps us reflect with perspective.
Why do some people talk to themselves?
Our thinking is a dialogue with ourselves. We don’t say out loud everything we think, but there are times when we have that dialogue out loud. It can occur even if other people are nearby.
The children When they start talking, they usually talk to themselves. Let’s say they think out loud because they still don’t know how to do it any other way. This concept is known as “private speech” and promotes cognitive development. As they get older, this private speech becomes internal in the form of thought.
Talking alone can be very positive if the dialogue is real, reasonable or motivating. But what happens when the dialogue is full of reproaches and anger? So, it is dangerous because it “feeds” negative emotions, intensifies them and makes us feel bad. It affects security and self-esteem and can lead to disorders as if it remains habitual.
In disorders such as depression, there is usually an internal and external dialogue full of negative words and labels: “I am useless”, “I do everything wrong”, “I will never achieve anything”, etc., and it is very important to modify it.
Imagine if one of the people you know said those things to you when you see them. She would be considered abuse, harassment or similar, right? Well now imagine that that person is with you 24 hours a day, they have access to your thoughts and repeat those negative words to you continuously. That’s why, It is very important that your internal dialogue is positive and a reinforcer instead of being full of reproaches to drag you down.
Are people who talk to themselves more intelligent?
Much has been said about the relationship between talking to yourself and intelligence. When something is mentioned on this topic, we imagine a scientific genius or an artist in his studio talking to himself while working on his work. However, There are no studies that confirm a direct relationship between talking to yourself and being very intelligent.
What we can associate is that intelligent people tend to have better strategies for solving tasks or problems. And, seeing the benefits that speaking alone brings to concentration, memory and interpretation, we could consider it a sign of fluid intelligence.
Therefore, whether he does it consciously or does not realize he is doing it, a person who talks to himself to obtain some of the benefits that come with it, demonstrates signs of intelligence.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
Bibliography
- American Psychiatric Association (1995). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV). Barcelona: MASSON
- American Psychiatric Association (2014). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) (Fifth Edition). Madrid: Panamericana Medical Editorial.