Don’t worry if you frequently talk to yourself, because it turns out that this habit can actually be beneficial for your brain by helping you process information more efficiently. In fact, talking to yourself can even be a sign of genius!
Research published in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology has shown that self-directed speech can improve your memory when you are looking for a specific object in a group of items. Participants in the study who said the name of the object out loud were able to find it more accurately than those who did not talk to themselves.
Talking to yourself can also help you regulate your emotions better. By rationalizing why something didn’t work out and looking for possible solutions instead of getting angry, you can maintain a more positive outlook. For example, you might say to yourself, “That didn’t go the way I wanted it to, but it’s okay because I can try this instead.”
In addition, talking to yourself can improve your concentration and help you focus on a given task for a sustained period of time. By talking to yourself while performing a task, you can mentally remove distractions and clarify your goals.
If you want to start talking to yourself more, try asking yourself questions about what you are currently doing. For example, you might ask, “Will I be successful?” and then answer yourself positively with a “Yes, of course, I will be successful.” You can also give yourself encouragement by saying things like, “Yes, you’ve got this!” or “That looks great. I knew you could do it!” Finally, it’s important to avoid negative self-talk and focus on positive language instead. Instead of saying, “Don’t mess this up,” say “You’ll do just fine.”
