Is it normal to talk to yourself?
Transcript
As your morning alarm blares, you mutter to yourself, “Why did I set it so early?”
While brushing your teeth, you think, “I need a haircut… unless?”
Rushing out the front door, you reach for your keys and realize they’re not there.
Frustrated, you shout, “I can’t do anything right!” just in time to notice your neighbor.
Being caught talking to yourself can feel embarrassing, and some people even stigmatize this behavior as a sign of mental instability.
But decades of psychology research show that talking to yourself is completely normal.
In fact, most, if not all, of us engage in some form of self-talk every single day.
So why do we talk to ourselves?
And does what we say matter?
Self-talk refers to the narration inside your head, sometimes called inner speech.
It differs from mental imagery or recalling facts and figures.
Specifically, psychologists define self-talk as verbalized thoughts directed toward yourself or some facet of your life.
This includes personal conversations like “I need to work on my free throw.”
But it also includes reflections you have throughout the day, like “The gym is crowded tonight. I’ll come back tomorrow.”
And while most self-talk in adults tends to be silent, speaking to yourself out loud also falls into this category.
In fact, psychologists believe our first experiences with self-talk are mostly vocal, as children often speak to themselves out loud as they play.
In the 1930s, Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky hypothesized that this kind of speech was actually key to development.
By repeating conversations they’ve had with adults, children practice managing their behaviors and emotions on their own.
Then, as they grow older, this outward self-talk tends to become internalized, morphing into a private inner dialogue.
We know this internal self-talk is important, and can help you plan, work through difficult situations, and even motivate you throughout the day.
But studying self-talk can be difficult.
It relies on study subjects clearly tracking a behavior that’s spontaneous and often done without conscious control.
For this reason, scientists are still working to answer basic questions, like, why do some people self-talk more than others?
What areas of the brain are activated during self-talk?
And how does this activation differ from normal conversation?
One thing we know for certain, however, is that what you say in these conversations can have real impacts on your attitude and performance.
Engaging in self-talk that’s instructional or motivational has been shown to increase focus, boost self-esteem, and help tackle everyday tasks.
For example, one study of collegiate tennis players found that incorporating instructional self-talk into practice increased their concentration and accuracy.
And just as chatting to a friend can help decrease stress, speaking directly to yourself may also help you regulate your emotions.
Distanced self-talk is when you talk to yourself, as if in conversation with another person.
So, rather than “I’m going to crush this exam,” you might think, “Caleb, you are prepared for this test!”
One study found that this kind of self-talk was especially beneficial for reducing stress when engaging in anxiety-inducing tasks, such as meeting new people or public speaking.
But where positive self-talk can help you, negative self-talk can harm you.
Most people are critical of themselves occasionally, but when this behavior gets too frequent or excessively negative, it can become toxic.
High levels of negative self-talk are often predictive of anxiety in children and adults.
And those who constantly blame themselves for their problems and ruminate on those situations typically experience more intense feelings of depression.
Today, there’s a field of psychological treatment called cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, which is partially focused on regulating the tone of self-talk.
Cognitive behavioral therapists often teach strategies to identify cycles of negative thoughts and replace them with neutral or more compassionate reflections.
Over time, these tools can improve one’s mental health.
So the next time you find yourself chatting with yourself, remember to be kind.
That inner voice is a partner you’ll be talking to for many years to come.
Vocabulary List
blare
(verb) to make a loud unpleasant noise
mutter
(verb) to speak in a low, indistinct voice
stigmatized
(adjective) marked with a stigma; regarded as disgraced or discreditable
self-talk
(noun) the internal dialogue that people have with themselves
differ
(verb) to be different
imagery
(noun) pictures, photographs, etc.
recall
(verb) to remember something
verbalized
(adjective) expressed in words
facet
(noun) a particular part or aspect of something
hypothesize
(verb) to form a hypothesis about something; to suggest a way of explaining something when you do not definitely know about it
key
(adjective) most important; essential
morph
(verb) to change gradually in form or shape
conscious
(adjective) aware of something
collegiate
(adjective) relating to or characteristic of a college or university
regulate
(verb) to control something
beneficial
(adjective) providing good or helpful results
anxiety-inducing
(adjective) causing or tending to cause anxiety
critical
(adjective) saying that someone or something is bad or wrong
predictive
(adjective) able to predict or forecast something
ruminate
(verb) to think about something repeatedly and deeply
cognitive
(adjective) relating to or involving mental processes such as thinking, understanding, and learning
compassionate
(adjective) feeling or showing sympathy and understanding for the suffering or misfortune of others
Grammar Point
In this lesson, we will:
– identify adjectives used in the video
– observe how those adjectives are placed in the sentences
We use adjectives to describe nouns.
Adjectives can be used:
– in front of a noun (adjective + noun)
– after a linking verb (linking verb + adjective)
Being caught talking to yourself can feel embarrassing, and some people even stigmatize this behavior as a sign of mental instability.
feel embarrassing = linking verb + adjective
feel = linking verb
embarrassing = adjective
mental instability = adjective + noun
mental = adjective
instability = noun
But decades of psychology research show that talking to yourself is completely normal.
is …. normal = linking verb + adjective
is = linking verb
normal = adjective
Self-talk refers to the narration inside your head, sometimes called inner speech.
inner speech = adjective + noun
inner = adjective
speech = noun
It differs from mental imagery or recalling facts and figures.
mental imagery = adjective + noun
mental = adjective
imagery = noun
But it also includes reflections you have throughout the day, like “The gym is crowded tonight. I’ll come back tomorrow.”
is crowded = linking verb + adjective
is = linking verb
crowded = adjective
And while most self-talk in adults tends to be silent, speaking to yourself out loud also falls into this category.
be silent = linking verb + adjective
be = linking verb
silent = adjective
In fact, psychologists believe our first experiences with self-talk are mostly vocal, as children often speak to themselves out loud as they play.
first experiences = adjective + noun
first = adjective
experiences = noun
are ….. vocal = linking verb + adjective
are = linking verb
vocal = adjective
In the 1930s, Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky hypothesized that this kind of speech was actually key to development.
Russian psychologist = adjective + noun
Russian = adjective
psychologist = noun
was …. key = linking verb + adjective
was = linking verb
key = adjective
Then, as they grow older, this outward self-talk tends to become internalized, morphing into a private inner dialogue.
grow older = linking verb + comparative adjective
grow = linking verb
older = comparative adjective
private inner dialogue = adjective 1 + adjective 2 + noun
private = adjective
inner = adjective
dialogue = noun
We know this internal self-talk is important, and can help you plan, work through difficult situations, and even motivate you throughout the day.
internal self-talk = adjective + noun
internal = adjective
self-talk = noun
difficult situations = adjective + noun
difficult = adjective
situations = noun
But studying self-talk can be difficult.
can be difficult = linking verb + adjective
be = linking verb
difficult = adjective
It relies on study subjects clearly tracking a behavior that’s spontaneous and often done without conscious control.
that’s spontaneous
= that is spontaneous = linking verb + adjective
is = linking verb
spontaneous = adjective
For this reason, scientists are still working to answer basic questions, like, why do some people self-talk more than others?
basic questions = adjective + noun
basic = adjective
questions = noun
And how does this activation differ from normal conversation?
normal conversation = adjective + noun
normal = adjective
conversation = noun
One thing we know for certain, however, is that what you say in these conversations can have real impacts on your attitude and performance.
real impacts = adjective + noun
real = adjective
impacts = noun
Engaging in self-talk that’s instructional or motivational has been shown to increase focus, boost self-esteem, and help tackle everyday tasks.
that’s instructional = linking verb + adjective
is = linking verb
instructional = adjective
everyday tasks = adjective + noun
everyday = adjective
tasks = noun
One study found that this kind of self-talk was especially beneficial for reducing stress when engaging in anxiety-inducing tasks, such as meeting new people or public speaking.
was … beneficial = linking verb + adjective
was = linking verb
beneficial = adjective
anxiety-inducing tasks = adjective + noun
anxiety-inducing = adjective
tasks = noun
new people = adjective + noun
new = adjective
people = noun
Most people are critical of themselves occasionally, but when this behavior gets too frequent or excessively negative, it can become toxic.
are critical = linking verb + adjective
are = linking verb
critical = adjective
gets … frequent = linking verb + adjective
get = linking verb
frequent = adjective
Today, there’s a field of psychological treatment called cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, which is partially focused on regulating the tone of self-talk.
cognitive behavioral therapy = adjective + noun
cognitive = adjective
behavioral = adjective
therapy = noun
Cognitive behavioral therapists often teach strategies to identify cycles of negative thoughts and replace them with neutral or more compassionate reflections.
negative thoughts = adjective + noun
negative = adjective
thoughts = noun
more compassionate reflections = comparative adjective + noun
more compassionate = comparative adjective
reflections = noun
So the next time you find yourself chatting with yourself, remember to be kind.
be kind = linking verb + adjective
be = linking verb
kind = adjective
Common Expressions
know for certain
One thing we know for certain, however, is that what you say in these conversations can have real impacts on your attitude and performance.
The phrase “know for certain” means to have complete knowledge about something. It means that you are absolutely sure that something is true, without any doubt.
many years to come
That inner voice is a partner you’ll be talking to for many years to come.
The phrase “many years to come” means a long time in the future. It is used to talk about something that will happen or continue for a long time. For example, you might say “I hope to live many years to come” or “This building will stand for many years to come.”