Talking to Yourself is Good For You
Yes, it’s official, it’s not bad to talk to yourself. In the past, it’s been seen as a bit of an odd thing to do, but Gary Lupyan, a psychologist carried out research in a supermarket. Participants were told to try and remember a list of objects, such as bananas. One group were told to repeat the words out loud, the others remained silent. They found that those who repeated the words aloud recalled the objects faster.
Lupyan and Swigley argue that when we talk to ourselves, it is easier for our memory to visualise the word. It helps us to focus on the task.
Psychologist Linda Sapadin also argues that by talking to ourselves, we are able to express thoughts that we might never share with anyone else, which helps us to decide what is important and clarify our thoughts.
Life Coach Dr Larry Markson says that we can use this to our own advantage. Talking to yourself can change our perceptions and how we feel about ourselves. Instead of negative thoughts, we should try to talk to ourselves about positive things. He says “It is a method of helping you to feel good about yourself, to pepper your subconscious mind with thoughts and emotions that you want to embed, so that when the time comes, you can reference and express them with sincerity and conviction.”
Children will often talk to themselves while learning a new task. But this is something many of us stop doing as we reach adolescence and adulthood, but Lupyan and Swigley’s research suggests that actually talking to ourselves can still be helpful even as an adult.
So why not give it a go (if you don’t talk to yourself already). You can chat through things that are bothering you, try to work out how to do something or work out how to say something to someone else.
So get a cup of tea and have a nice chat with yourself!
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