There’s nothing better than engaging in a great talk that leaves you feeling fulfilled, inspired, and at peace.
In most instances, the gratification has less to do with the topic or dialogue than it does the feeling you’ve been heard, or that verbalizing your thoughts helped you work through them.
So – what about the people who get the same gratification from talking to themselves? Turns out, they’re not crazy, they’re geniuses.
Recent studies support what theorists have long suspected, talking to yourself can be equally (if not more) impactful than two-way conversation as it accelerates learning, helps you think more efficiently and boosts 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.
Here are the top science supported benefits of talking to yourself:
- Your brain operates more efficiently
In an experiment done by Live Science, test subjects were shown objects and those that repeated the name verbally not only found them more easily but had a better memory and enhanced memorization abilities. Saying something out loud solidifies it in your mind, and helps you understand.
- Helps children learn more easily
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 in your developmental years, you can vocalize directions and become more adept at following them, or any other process.
- 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.
- You’ll achieve more goals
Repeating something out loud, especially your goals will help reinforce your attention and focus, along with eliminating 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.
Next time you’re in need of a good conversation, give talking to yourself a try. It might just make you smarter.
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