It Doesn’t Mean You’re Crazy – Talking to Yourself Has Cognitive Benefits, Study Finds

Good news, we're not all mad!
It's long been thought, or suggested, that people who talk to themselves are a bit wrong in the head. Some sort of social stigma has built up around it, and if you were walking down the street muttering to yourslef, people would probably think that you had a mental illnes of some kind. So IN YOUR FACE to them, because we all do it to some extent, probably even the people who cast dispersions on others for talking to themselves.
www.sciencedaily.com...

Most people talk to themselves at least every few days, and many report talking to themselves on an hourly basis. What purpose is served by this seemingly irrational behavior? Previous research has suggested that such self-directed speech in children can help guide their behavior. For example, children often talk themselves step-by-step through tying their shoelaces, as if reminding themselves to focus on the job in hand.

In the first experiment, participants were shown 20 pictures of various objects and asked to find a particular one. In some trials, participants saw a text label telling them what object they should find ("Please search for the teapot.") In other trials, the same subjects were asked to search again while actually say the word to themselves. It was found that speaking to themselves helped people find the objects more quickly.

So, as it says at the end of the article, next time you're searching for something, say the name of it over and over, and you could well find it quicker.

what am I looking for...[/ponders]

*10millionpounds10millionpounds10millionpounds10millionpounds10millionpounds*

Pfft..

Who needs a study to tell people this type of stuff.

I was saying this to myself just this morning as a matter of fact.

I know we don't need a study to tell us that. but it's nice to have one.

It's given me the perfect excuse for when I'm rambling away to myself on the way home from the pub and I'm too drunk to notice people approaching. I'm talking myself home, honest.

i always knew i wasnt CRAZY or INSANE i just like to talk out loud a lot or talk alone .... sometimes things pop up in my head that i just wanna talk out loud about or just answering question from my mind lol....

sometimes i used to pause myself cause i thought it was getting outta hand.. thinking i was ACTUALLY getting a lil more crazy but then i realized im not the only one, who does this....

i feel as if i have two things replying in my mind..... soul and mind

When I talk to myself...I'm not concerned.

When I answer myself...I get a little concerned.

When I argue with myself...others around me get concerned.

I just find myself more interesting than most people...True story!

Peace

That dosn't surprice me.

But it surprices me

Get out of my post, you ........

See ya

I hate stalkers

Hmm..No mention on writing with your self

This makes so much sense.

Thank You for posting this!

I talk to myself all the time. Hell I'm probably talking to myself right now.

What's wrong with that? Wanna know a secret? I mastrubate sometimes too.

Shhh. Don't tell anyone.

People that think you're crazy for talking to yourself must be stupid

If you talk to yourself you are crazy.

Originally posted by TsukiLunar
If you talk to yourself you are crazy.

What! Thats retarded you douchebag! Your the crazy one! Go to hell!

I do it at work, while creating IT Forms...

IT does help; plans it out for me.

It's when you're talking to yourself and you get an answer that you need to worry.

Originally posted by TsukiLunar

Originally posted by TsukiLunar
If you talk to yourself you are crazy.

What! Thats retarded you douchebag! Your the crazy one! Go to hell!

I'm staring you.

Not that loser you're arguing with!

Originally posted by TsukiLunar

Originally posted by TsukiLunar
If you talk to yourself you are crazy.

What! Thats retarded you douchebag! Your the crazy one! Go to hell!

I didn't know we could talk that way.

I've been way too #ing nice you guys.

I just found out you can say asshole. That is going in my arsenal.

It's the only way I can get an intelligent conversation sometimes.


(I wonder how many ATS-istanians talk to themselves?)

It's just an extraverted feature of personality. Namely, extraverted thinking and extraverted intuition at play. Some people do it more often than others. I would suggest this has to do with the order of the function from the standpoint of the MBTI.

My dad is constantly talking to his self, and it drives me nuts. The only time I have to talk to myself is when there are many ideas running around at once, and I need to focus on one particular train of thought under pressure.


I think it should also be noted that there's a difference from talking to yourself, and thinking to yourself. Talking to yourself is seen on the outside, but thinking to yourself...that's more like a think-tank of personas who each specialize in solving various aspects of whatever problem is at hand.

I think to myself 98% of the time, and talking to myself rarely Talking is far, far, far too inefficient.

Originally posted by beezzer
It's the only way I can get an intelligent conversation sometimes.


(I wonder how many ATS-istanians talk to themselves?)

I do.
Heh, my GF caught me once talking to myself while having a cigarette outside.
I felt awkward, but she laughed and told me she does it all the time.
I have the best GF.

I feel like talking to yourself helps you organize your thoughts.
Funny, now a "study" seems to corroborate this.

Also I can shut myself up anytime.

*Looks around to see if someone heard that...

reply to post by Acidtastic


Anything in moderation is fine

so yeh i guess your right, even from a mediative view its good. but too much could get bad. as is anything.

"Don't you want to post in this thread?" "Well kind of, but what will the others think?" "Oh you know it doesn't matter, we are all family here." Yea, but is there a difference between thinking out loud verses having a dialogue?" "Well maybe, but sometimes you and I need each other to figure things out together." "Oh, okay, I guess that is true." "Yea, ya know sometimes there just isn't anyone around and I still have things to say." " I know, I know, but what will they think?" "Who cares what others think, you have an excuse now, you are validated from this study." "We can get cognitive benefits now." "What's that?" "We is gettin smarter."
"Whew, no more self-doubt for us huh?" "That's right, saaaaaal good my man!" "Let's celebrate, shall we?" "Indeed, let's." "After you" "No, after you." "Oh no no, after you, I insist." "Okeedokee."

spec the 1st and 2nd

Originally posted by cavalryscout

Originally posted by TsukiLunar

Originally posted by TsukiLunar
If you talk to yourself you are crazy.

What! Thats retarded you douchebag! Your the crazy one! Go to hell!

I didn't know we could talk that way.

I've been way too #ing nice you guys.

I just found out you can say asshole. That is going in my arsenal.

edit on 19-4-2012 by cavalryscout because: (no reason given)

edit on 19-4-2012 by cavalryscout because: (no reason given)

Just to be safe, put A$$hole and arsenal together to create...

Yup, you guessed it! Arsehole!

And I did that after talking myself into it...

Peace