Talking to yourself is often viewed as an unusual habit, with some people associating it with poor concentration, lack of discipline or even mental decline.
However, research suggests that self-talk can serve useful cognitive functions and may help people with memory, focus, self-regulation and confidence.
Self-talk refers to speaking to yourself either aloud or silently. People may use it to organise their thoughts, solve problems, motivate themselves or work through difficult situations.
A 2012 study found that people who repeated the name of an object to themselves were able to locate and recognise that object more quickly in certain visual-search tasks. The findings suggested that verbalising what a person is looking for can help direct attention.
Research has also explored the relationship between self-talk and self-control. Positive or instructional self-talk may help people regulate their behaviour, stay focused on goals and approach challenging tasks more effectively.
Experts, however, caution against interpreting these findings as proof that talking to yourself automatically means a person is more intelligent. The potential benefits depend on how and why the self-talk is used.
Constructive self-talk can help people analyse situations, organise information and maintain motivation, while harsh or excessively negative self-criticism can have the opposite effect.
So, if you occasionally find yourself talking through a problem, reminding yourself what needs to be done or motivating yourself out loud, there is no reason to feel embarrassed. Used constructively, self-talk can be a useful tool for managing thoughts and attention.
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