7 Research-Proven Ways People Who Talk Out Loud To Themselves Are Better Off Than The Average Person
You're not crazy. You're actually highly emotionally intelligent.
PaeGAG | Shutterstock Almost everyone keeps up some type of dialogue with themselves. It’s completely natural. Per WebMD, for about 25% of people, this dialogue occurs out loud.
Many people have a negative view of people who talk to themselves out loud. According to Medical News Today, this is likely due to the fact that it is generally associated with serious mental health issues. However, there are quite a few benefits to talking to yourself out loud.
Here are seven ways people who talk out loud to themselves are better off than the average person:
1. You’re able to better work through what’s going on in your mind
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University of Wisconsin psychology professor Gary Lupyan explained that talking through things out loud actually helps you find some clarity amidst the jumble of your thoughts. When you literally talk things through, it’s easier to solve problems and find comfort. “It’s like giving your thoughts a chance to breathe and take shape,” Betania Vidal wrote for OK Diario.
Sometimes, thinking is just not enough. Just like some people work through their problems more easily by writing about them in a journal, some find that they have to talk through them. Typically, when we think of talking through our problems, we think of talking them through with someone else. But this isn’t always possible or practical. Sometimes, you’ve just got to talk through it on your own.
2. You find a sense of emotional release
Verbally expressing your feelings is a way to find emotional release, according to psychotherapist Anne Wilson Schaef. By doing so, you’re doing the opposite of holding it all in and keeping it all to yourself. “Instead of bottling up stress or confusion, you can talk your way through challenges and find a sense of relief,” Vidal noted. “In this way, self-talk serves as both a mental and emotional outlet.”
There are times when you’ve just got to express something out loud. But, much like what can happen when you need to work through what’s going on in your mind, there may not always be someone on hand to talk through things with. There’s also the possibility that you won’t feel comfortable sharing whatever it is you’re feeling. Talking to yourself can still provide that emotional release in those situations.
3. Your focus improves
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Everyone learns and thinks in different ways. For some, focus will improve as you talk out loud, even if there’s no one else there to talk to. Michigan Blue Daily said, “Verbalizing instructions, reminders, or key points can enhance concentration and reduce distractions, especially in complex or demanding activities.” By repeating something to yourself, you’re better able to focus on it.
It may seem like repeating something to yourself is a minor thing, but it can have a big impact. A study published in Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences proved that basketball players who repeated positive affirmations to themselves played better. Keeping your focus on something important is a powerful thing.
4. You remember things better
Have you ever read information out loud when studying or working on a big project and found that you retained it better? That’s no coincidence. One study from Canada’s University of Waterloo found that “the ‘dual action’ of speaking and hearing yourself speak helps the brain to store the information so that it becomes long-term memory. This process is called the ‘production effect,’” Medical News Today reported.
One of the authors of the study, Professor Colin M. MacLeod, said, “When we add an active measure or a production element to a word, that word becomes more distinct in long-term memory, and hence more memorable.” By engaging in the act of speaking, you're automatically giving yourself a better chance to remember something.
5. Your emotional health improves
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Some view talking to yourself as a sign of poor emotional and mental health. Quite frankly, they think it’s a sign that someone is crazy. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. If you talk to yourself out loud, you’re actually quite emotionally healthy because you’re giving yourself a chance to talk through, and therefore work through, your difficult emotions that thinking alone cannot get you through.
When doing so, Psychology Today recommended using a third-person instead of a first-person point-of-view. “In a study, people who used the first-person when talking to themselves before a task were less effective than those who spoke to themselves in the second- or third-person. Creating psychological distance in our self-talk, then, can help us calm down and face challenging moments,” they said.
6. You’ll feel more motivated
Obviously, if you use a negative tone when talking to yourself, you’re not going to do much to motivate yourself. You’ll actually be headed in the opposite direction. But, when you speak positively to yourself, you can motivate yourself just like someone else could. It’s like giving yourself your own pep talk.
Writing for PsychCentral, Traci Pederson pointed out, “When you use positive and motivational self-talk, it can boost your confidence, focus, and determination to achieve your goals. Your inner dialogue can remind you of your capabilities and drive, helping you stay motivated to pursue your objectives.” Using this tool to motivate yourself is powerful.
7. Your thoughts are organized better
If you’ve ever felt like your thoughts exist as some amorphous entity inside your mind that you just can’t seem to crack the code to, you’re not alone. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed by thoughts, especially at the speed at which humans think. In fact, research from Caltech suggested that we think at a rate of 10 bits per second. Sometimes, it is necessary to slow ourselves down and talk it out.
Michigan Blue Daily said, “Self-talk can improve cognitive performance and problem-solving abilities. By verbalizing thoughts and ideas, individuals can organize their thinking, clarify their understanding, and generate new insights. It can help in tasks that involve planning, decision-making, and goal-setting.” Take some time to talk through something. You’ll likely find that you process it much better that way.
Although it’s taboo to some, talking to yourself has its benefits.
Many people avoid talking to themselves at all costs to avoid being judged or stigmatized. However, being willing to talk to yourself has so many benefits that many would argue it’s worth looking a little crazy to some.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.