Have you ever found yourself having a conversation with, well, yourself? Have you ever then turned red with embarrassment as you notice those around you watching you, giving you stares, and pointing to “the crazy person”? As it turns out, there’s actually no reason to be embarrassed at all. You’re probably just a genius.
How could this be possible? You’re probably thinking, don’t crazy people talk to themselves? Society has built this negative stigma around talking to yourself, so many feel embarrassed when caught.
Turns out, it’s actually a sign of being a genius.
Studies show that talking to yourself can make you learn more quickly, think more efficiently, and boost long term memory.
One study, printed by the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, found that verbal stimulation altered ongoing perceptual processing. This means that talking to themselves, especially when repeating the name of an object, significantly helped participants of the study become more receptive to the object they said aloud, making it easier to find the object if they searched for it.
Many experts and studies have actually done research in order to see how talking to yourself helps. Here’s the top ways, all backed up by science.
1. Your brain works more efficiently
In an experiment done by Live Science, test subjects that repeated objects not only found them more easily, but had a better memory and enhanced memorization abilities. Speaking something out loud to yourself actually solidifies what you are doing and makes it more easy for your body to understand.
2. As a child, you’ll learn better
Babies and toddlers need to hear their voices when growing up, as “self directed speech can help guide children’s behavior… often talking themselves step by step through tasks.” By talking aloud to yourself as a youngster, you can vocalize directions and become more adept at following them, or any other process.
3. It helps organize your thoughts
Talking to yourself helps validate important decisions, according to psychologist Linda Sapadin. By speaking out loud, you are vocally prioritizing tasks and de-cluttering your mind. Hearing your issue be vocalized also calms your nerves, instead of it bouncing around in your head.
4. You’ll achieve more goals
Repeating something out loud, especially your goals, will help reinforce your attention and focus, along with eliminate distractions. Walking yourself through the steps will make each one more individual and clear, as opposed to blending them all together. By saying it and hearing it, you mentally condition your brain to put more effort into achieving it.
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