Is it normal to talk to yourself?
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Date: 2023-05-18
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Comments and reviews: 15
Yann
Do thoughts exist in language? I'm not sure they do. Sometimes, you can think out a whole strategy for something in a few seconds which would take you a very long time to explain in words so you are either not using language or somehow can use it very fast.
I imagine that ideas must exist in vocabulary to some extent as we tend to define meaning with words and ideas probably wouldn't make any sense otherwise. Maybe the structure of the language influences your thinking too, some languages being more creative, some more mathematical, some having more complex grammar rules etc.
I say this because when I'm working something out or being creative I find putting it into words clarifies it and I'm sure that speaking out loud means you then have to process your ideas through your ears which involves another part of the brain.
It's amazing how you can have a brilliant idea in your head, start to see the drawbacks as you put it into words and realise it's complete nonsense when you hear it coming back through your ears. Moral dilemmas particularly take on a whole new dimension when you hear them. Very often they cease to be a dilemma as soon as you hear them.
This is why I speak to myself when I need to check the validity of an idea, where I stand on a topic or need to explain something to someone else.
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Do thoughts exist in language? I'm not sure they do. Sometimes, you can think out a whole strategy for something in a few seconds which would take you a very long time to explain in words so you are either not using language or somehow can use it very fast.
I imagine that ideas must exist in vocabulary to some extent as we tend to define meaning with words and ideas probably wouldn't make any sense otherwise. Maybe the structure of the language influences your thinking too, some languages being more creative, some more mathematical, some having more complex grammar rules etc.
I say this because when I'm working something out or being creative I find putting it into words clarifies it and I'm sure that speaking out loud means you then have to process your ideas through your ears which involves another part of the brain.
It's amazing how you can have a brilliant idea in your head, start to see the drawbacks as you put it into words and realise it's complete nonsense when you hear it coming back through your ears. Moral dilemmas particularly take on a whole new dimension when you hear them. Very often they cease to be a dilemma as soon as you hear them.
This is why I speak to myself when I need to check the validity of an idea, where I stand on a topic or need to explain something to someone else.
reply
Death
Is it normal to talk to yourself? It is not only normal but also extremely healthy. Some of the greatest truths of life, about the world and about myself, I have found out while talking to myself, which I do quite frequently.
Not only I talk to myself: I deliver complete lectures about many different subjects to invisible audiences, and in the course of these lectures I discover absolutely fantastic things, insights that I had never had before.
I also talk to myself in writing, because I am a Diary Keeper. My Journal, kept in the course of the last 10 years, has now over 5, 000 pages.
A couple of months ago I was talking to my psychotherapist (young and pretty, I should say) about my soliloquies and monologues. I asked her what she thought about that, and she said, without a hint of surprise, nonchalantly and matter-of-factly, that's wonderful. I do the same thing.
Of course, if I have an interesting companion to talk to, I offer no objections. I love the company of intelligent and communicative people. But in the lack of that, it is OK. I can find a pleasant and creative way out of the situation. So, I am never alone.
reply
Is it normal to talk to yourself? It is not only normal but also extremely healthy. Some of the greatest truths of life, about the world and about myself, I have found out while talking to myself, which I do quite frequently.
Not only I talk to myself: I deliver complete lectures about many different subjects to invisible audiences, and in the course of these lectures I discover absolutely fantastic things, insights that I had never had before.
I also talk to myself in writing, because I am a Diary Keeper. My Journal, kept in the course of the last 10 years, has now over 5, 000 pages.
A couple of months ago I was talking to my psychotherapist (young and pretty, I should say) about my soliloquies and monologues. I asked her what she thought about that, and she said, without a hint of surprise, nonchalantly and matter-of-factly, that's wonderful. I do the same thing.
Of course, if I have an interesting companion to talk to, I offer no objections. I love the company of intelligent and communicative people. But in the lack of that, it is OK. I can find a pleasant and creative way out of the situation. So, I am never alone.
reply
Ralph
Am I the only one who feels comfortable speaking English fluently when I talk to myself only without someone noticing me inside the house? I, as a Filipino, do self-talk all the time that became from my habit to my normal way of living life because (despite English was the first language my parents and the media and books taught me) I also felt very lonely without friends to talk to about things we can relate to each other because they live far away or any other circumstances; as a result, I tend to imagine myself talking to a friend I feel being close with. In reality, that does not happen to me. It happened to the point many times my family would notice my self-talk actions at home and felt weirded about it. However when I'm living my solitary life with no one watching, I feel very comfortable expressing what I want to say but only to myself. :) I realized too that talking to myself was the key to unlocking my special gift of speaking English fluently.
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Am I the only one who feels comfortable speaking English fluently when I talk to myself only without someone noticing me inside the house? I, as a Filipino, do self-talk all the time that became from my habit to my normal way of living life because (despite English was the first language my parents and the media and books taught me) I also felt very lonely without friends to talk to about things we can relate to each other because they live far away or any other circumstances; as a result, I tend to imagine myself talking to a friend I feel being close with. In reality, that does not happen to me. It happened to the point many times my family would notice my self-talk actions at home and felt weirded about it. However when I'm living my solitary life with no one watching, I feel very comfortable expressing what I want to say but only to myself. :) I realized too that talking to myself was the key to unlocking my special gift of speaking English fluently.
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Petra
I've talked to myself outloud since I was a kid. One time I was walking home from school and some old lady walking past me and she was talking to herself outloud and to me it looked very bizarre, honestly the first thing that came to my mind was that she has some mental problems. That moment I realised I probably looked exactly the same if someone saw me. That wasn't enough to change my habit tho
I think one of the biggest reasons I do it is because I don't really have a voice inside my head. I have understood that some people have actual voice talking to them in their head (when they think and talk to themselfs) but for me it's silent. Talking outloud helps me go through my thoughts more efficiently.
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I've talked to myself outloud since I was a kid. One time I was walking home from school and some old lady walking past me and she was talking to herself outloud and to me it looked very bizarre, honestly the first thing that came to my mind was that she has some mental problems. That moment I realised I probably looked exactly the same if someone saw me. That wasn't enough to change my habit tho
I think one of the biggest reasons I do it is because I don't really have a voice inside my head. I have understood that some people have actual voice talking to them in their head (when they think and talk to themselfs) but for me it's silent. Talking outloud helps me go through my thoughts more efficiently.
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GBK
Well I talked to myself for years, since I had OCD to the period when I was badly bullied in secondary school. Well, I had no friends but myself to confided in. Talking to myself was, and is the best way for me to release my mind and to find advices. Sometimes, asking yourself what to do next will be really helpful, since it's gonna give you a much more objective sight of the problems.
P/s: I'm still dealing with OCD, and it's quite runaway. There are voices in my head that tells me what to do, and most of the time they forces me to do non-sense things like touching the doors three times, or I'll die; sth like that. I hope that I can completely cure this thing soon!
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Well I talked to myself for years, since I had OCD to the period when I was badly bullied in secondary school. Well, I had no friends but myself to confided in. Talking to myself was, and is the best way for me to release my mind and to find advices. Sometimes, asking yourself what to do next will be really helpful, since it's gonna give you a much more objective sight of the problems.
P/s: I'm still dealing with OCD, and it's quite runaway. There are voices in my head that tells me what to do, and most of the time they forces me to do non-sense things like touching the doors three times, or I'll die; sth like that. I hope that I can completely cure this thing soon!
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GraveUypo
few years ago i started animating a character to talk to me. originally it was a self-preservation measure i took when i realized my entire family might die in the next years (you know why. I took some measures to ensure i didn't go insane if i lost everyone i loved (somehow i was sure i wouldn't die. thankfully, it didn't come to that. but i still like to talk to that character to vent when i'm frustrated, or just. for no reason. i always leave feeling better than before the talk. also i've grown to care about my character like they're my real family, even though i have no delusions about them being real, which is an interesting side effect.
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few years ago i started animating a character to talk to me. originally it was a self-preservation measure i took when i realized my entire family might die in the next years (you know why. I took some measures to ensure i didn't go insane if i lost everyone i loved (somehow i was sure i wouldn't die. thankfully, it didn't come to that. but i still like to talk to that character to vent when i'm frustrated, or just. for no reason. i always leave feeling better than before the talk. also i've grown to care about my character like they're my real family, even though i have no delusions about them being real, which is an interesting side effect.
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Fafner888
Another benefit of talking to oneself that should be mentioned is that it's a great way to practice speaking a foreign language. That's how I become decently fluent in English despite living in a non Anglophone environment. It's a very effective way to practice the language cause you don't need a partner and it removes insecurities about making mistakes. I got into this habit to such a degree that English has become the language in which I think despite it being my third language. I honestly just taught myself to speak English without having any experience of speaking to other people. I was actually surprised myself how good I've become.
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Another benefit of talking to oneself that should be mentioned is that it's a great way to practice speaking a foreign language. That's how I become decently fluent in English despite living in a non Anglophone environment. It's a very effective way to practice the language cause you don't need a partner and it removes insecurities about making mistakes. I got into this habit to such a degree that English has become the language in which I think despite it being my third language. I honestly just taught myself to speak English without having any experience of speaking to other people. I was actually surprised myself how good I've become.
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Fylgija
Talking to myself is a habit I'm working to un-train myself from doing because I think it's bad for your emotional health; it teaches your brain to let your internal anxieties take over at the forefront. In my experience, expressing it aloud trains your brain to let internal stress impulses take control of the reigns. Even if it's not semantically related, just blurting out yep, mm hmmm, gives control over to the anxieties. Learning to stop it from coming to the forefront like that teaches your brain to stop letting anxieties take control of your higher levels of consciousness.
reply
Talking to myself is a habit I'm working to un-train myself from doing because I think it's bad for your emotional health; it teaches your brain to let your internal anxieties take over at the forefront. In my experience, expressing it aloud trains your brain to let internal stress impulses take control of the reigns. Even if it's not semantically related, just blurting out yep, mm hmmm, gives control over to the anxieties. Learning to stop it from coming to the forefront like that teaches your brain to stop letting anxieties take control of your higher levels of consciousness.
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Hakim
I don't self-talk much and never loudly but it doesn't take much for my inner critique to show up whenever I goof up. Over the years while battling depression I adopted positive self-talk through affirmations. Positive affirmations drastically reduced negative self-talk and when I goof up, most of the time instead of berating me it now soothes me. I highly encourage people who are suffering from that harsh critical noise inside head to adopt positive affirmations. Talk to yourself the way you would talk with your loved ones or your friends, it will help you alot.
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I don't self-talk much and never loudly but it doesn't take much for my inner critique to show up whenever I goof up. Over the years while battling depression I adopted positive self-talk through affirmations. Positive affirmations drastically reduced negative self-talk and when I goof up, most of the time instead of berating me it now soothes me. I highly encourage people who are suffering from that harsh critical noise inside head to adopt positive affirmations. Talk to yourself the way you would talk with your loved ones or your friends, it will help you alot.
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Houssem
I have been caught countless times talking to myself (with moving hands) and I can't describe enough the weird looks I get and how embarrassing it was.
So thank you TED-ED for getting in this topic. It's refreshing to know nothing wrong with that.
Besides managing emotions and feelings, expressing ideas and thoughts to myself is better expressing it to another person who can laugh or take advantage of it.
Also, talking to self help with learning new language. Only one problem is you don't get feedback.
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I have been caught countless times talking to myself (with moving hands) and I can't describe enough the weird looks I get and how embarrassing it was.
So thank you TED-ED for getting in this topic. It's refreshing to know nothing wrong with that.
Besides managing emotions and feelings, expressing ideas and thoughts to myself is better expressing it to another person who can laugh or take advantage of it.
Also, talking to self help with learning new language. Only one problem is you don't get feedback.
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Werul
I practice distanced self talk every single hour of the day. Mainly bc I have no one else to talk to, so 2 years ago, I began talking to myself both internally and out loud on purpose about things I would want to talk with other people so I wouldn't feel so lonely.
Over time, I was talking to myself like that in most thoughts I had, and now its become the normal way I process information.
Its like I have someone there with me to talk to all the time, that someone is me.
reply
I practice distanced self talk every single hour of the day. Mainly bc I have no one else to talk to, so 2 years ago, I began talking to myself both internally and out loud on purpose about things I would want to talk with other people so I wouldn't feel so lonely.
Over time, I was talking to myself like that in most thoughts I had, and now its become the normal way I process information.
Its like I have someone there with me to talk to all the time, that someone is me.
reply
Daniel
It seems that most people do self talk out loud. I do it in my head. As a kid people would say i'm weird for doing that so i guess i just decided to shut my mouth and train my mind to do it there. At some point in my life i actually didn't like the self talking in my head, i tried stopping it which did not work and only made me more stressed. Later i just accepted it and since then i've become a great friend of myself, and is the reason why i learned english lol
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It seems that most people do self talk out loud. I do it in my head. As a kid people would say i'm weird for doing that so i guess i just decided to shut my mouth and train my mind to do it there. At some point in my life i actually didn't like the self talking in my head, i tried stopping it which did not work and only made me more stressed. Later i just accepted it and since then i've become a great friend of myself, and is the reason why i learned english lol
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Peridot
Ever since young (i have strict parents) i don't really have much friends, and since i don't well have a real life friend that stayed with me till this day other than haha idk my family? But. they dont count so till this day i still have conversations, interact, play with- well myself! (I would never talk to myself, well tell the stuff i truly want to say outside my head if I'm in public due to so many reasons! Plus i would be embarrassed or ashamed)
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Ever since young (i have strict parents) i don't really have much friends, and since i don't well have a real life friend that stayed with me till this day other than haha idk my family? But. they dont count so till this day i still have conversations, interact, play with- well myself! (I would never talk to myself, well tell the stuff i truly want to say outside my head if I'm in public due to so many reasons! Plus i would be embarrassed or ashamed)
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Petah
I kept failing in math in my hs despite putting in the work. It came to the point where i used to feel anxious whenever i saw math equations because they reminded me of my failure. Oh a whim i started self talk when working on math just to calm myself down, gradually this seriously helped me figure out several stuff. went from barely passing to getting 91 points in it at my graduation (probably the biggest achievement in my life lol)
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I kept failing in math in my hs despite putting in the work. It came to the point where i used to feel anxious whenever i saw math equations because they reminded me of my failure. Oh a whim i started self talk when working on math just to calm myself down, gradually this seriously helped me figure out several stuff. went from barely passing to getting 91 points in it at my graduation (probably the biggest achievement in my life lol)
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Francisco
Self-talk has helped me understand situations in order to avoid doing something irrational due to stress and anxiety. But it also means I tend to feed my introverted self since I'm more dynamic in self-talk when I'm alone in a room. It also helps me plan certain things. It's just a challenge though that I tend to go off-topic with myself, which then I sometimes have to remind myself to stay in topic during the self-talk.
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Self-talk has helped me understand situations in order to avoid doing something irrational due to stress and anxiety. But it also means I tend to feed my introverted self since I'm more dynamic in self-talk when I'm alone in a room. It also helps me plan certain things. It's just a challenge though that I tend to go off-topic with myself, which then I sometimes have to remind myself to stay in topic during the self-talk.
reply
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