At some point in our lives, we have all met or walked by someone that talks to themselves out loud. While it can be a strange sight to see, that person who you think is crazy might actually be a genius. Believe it or not, recent scientific studies have revealed that people who talk to themselves are more intelligent than those that do not.
While it may be hard to believe that talking to yourself is actually a sign of intelligence, the truth is that most of us do it from time to time. Of course, some people talk to themselves more than others.
Talking to Yourself Aids with Memory
Scientific research shows that talking to yourself boosts memory. When you talk to yourself, your brain actually visualizes the information. Instead of thinking about it, you speak it, and your brain’s sensory mechanism takes over. Your memory gets a quick rush of stimulation.
Talking to yourself could prove to be an extremely helpful tool for students. Writing papers or solving math problems might be a lot easier with the use of this method.
Aside from stimulating memory, talking to yourself has also been proven to increase focus. Saying words out loud allow you to visualize and recognize the subject you are speaking about. If you are talking about oranges, saying the word orange will help your brain visualize the fruit clearly.
Experts believe that your brain can think of things quicker and clearer when you speak about the subject. However, if you don’t know what something looks like, speaking about the subject will have little to no effect.
While talking to yourself is now regarded as a wise thing to do, practicing this brain enriching technique in the privacy of your own home is a good idea. Muttering words to yourself in public can cause others to think you are less intelligent. At home, however, go ahead and have long conversations with yourself. Just be careful, you don’t want to end up like Gollum or Tom Hanks from “Castaway.”
Better Brain Activity
All jokes aside, it does make sense that talking to yourself would increase brain activity. Talking to yourself also keeps your mind clear. If someone does wrong by you in life, talking about it with a loved one would help you get all of your emotions out. However, what if you don’t have anyone to speak to?
Well, sitting alone in a quiet room and speaking your mind will get rid of the problem. This is a great exercise because you will not be hurting anyone else with your words. Also, no one will know your business, which is always a good thing.
Recommended by Psychologists
Talking to yourself may seem like a crazy idea to some, but it’s actually recommended by psychologists. An experiment involving 20 volunteers was recently held in a supermarket. Their objective was to remember grocery items. Half of the control group was told to speak the names of the items out loud, and the other half remained silent. At the end of the experiment, the entire group was given a memory test. Those who spoke the names of the items out loud answered the questions much quicker.
Talking to Yourself is Healthy
The brain is constantly running, and it can be very difficult to turn off. Some people always have thoughts swirling around their head. Fortunately, talking to yourself can calm down a worried person. Expelling all of the negative thoughts from your brain through verbalization eases your mind. Talking to yourself can also be used to increase memory power and overall brain function.
The research is concrete, but are you ready to start talking to yourself? Remember, you don’t need to have deep conversations with yourself. You can start off by using this method to help you complete school work or remember list items.