Three major reasons why intelligent people talk to themselves

Monday, February 29, 2016 by: Amy Goodrich
Tags: mental health, intelligence, self-talk

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(NaturalNews) If you are a self-talker, then at times you may think you're becoming daft or losing it. Talking to yourself is a sign of craziness, right? This general thought inspired self-talker Gary Lupyan, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and his colleague Daniel Swigley, among others, to research the topic and prove their own sanity.

"I'll often mutter to myself when searching for something in the refrigerator or supermarket shelves," said Gary Lupyan.

Sounds familiar? Apparently, he is not alone. Many people talk to themselves. Some do it every few days; others mutter to themselves on an hourly basis. If you are one of those self-talkers, don't despair or get embarrassed. It may just be a sign that you're an absolute genius.

Apparently, some of the smartest brains on Earth talk to themselves. According to Albert-Einstein.org, the famous scientist used to repeat his sentences to himself in a soft voice, too.

Self-talk for brain efficiency

In one experiment, Lupyan and Swigley asked volunteers to look at 20 pictures of objects – such as a purse, a banana, etc. – and then look for them. At first, they were told to look for the objects in silence, while in later stages of the experiment they were asked to say the name of the objects aloud while searching for them. In a second experiment, the researchers scaled it up to finding items at a supermarket.

They found that self-directed speech helped the participants find the objects with greater ease and accuracy. The researchers theorize that when people hear a familiar word the brain is stimulated, which helps them process the information much faster.

However, muttering the name of an unfamiliar object didn't seem to help participants find objects any faster. According to the findings, it may even be a confusing factor.

"Speaking to yourself isn't always helpful — if you don't really know what an object looks like, saying its name can have no effect or actually slow you down. If, on the other hand, you know that bananas are yellow and have a particular shape, by saying banana, you're activating these visual properties in the brain to help you find them," Lupyan stated.

You can read their full report here.

Self-talk helps you organize thoughts

According to Linda Sapadin, a psychologist and success coach who specializes in helping people overcome self-defeating patterns of behavior, self-talk makes you smarter and helps clarify thoughts. It helps you through tough decisions and puts the nerves at ease.

"It helps you clarify your thoughts, tend to what's important and firm up any decisions you're contemplating," she said.

Self-talk to achieve goals

When your brain works faster and thoughts are clear and focused, goals will be easier to achieve. According to Sapadin, saying your goals out loud gives you the power to tackle the problems or projects with greater ease and with more confidence.

As Sapadin puts it, "Saying [your goals] out loud focuses your attention, reinforces the message, controls your runaway emotions and screens out distractions."

Recent studies clearly prove talking to yourself isn't always a sign of loneliness or craziness. It can actually help you get things done with greater ease. So maybe next time you're grocery shopping or looking for your keys or wallet, it might help to say the word aloud when searching for it.

Sources for this article include:

BrightSide.me

Albert-Einstein.org

LiveScience.com

PsychCentral.com