SPEAK ALONE, WHAT DOES PSYCHOLOGY SAY? IS IT BAD OR GOOD? - ARTE

Your inner speech, what you say to yourself, can lead you to be loved or not, happy or unhappy, attractive or unattractive, weak or strong. And what happens when we talk alone? We never question whether it is bad to think, but we do see it as strange to speak alone.

It is not well known that thoughts are like the voice turned to the minimum volume. Therefore, you should be concerned with what you think as well as what you speak out loud, in case those phrases or thoughts are negative.

In any case, what worries you is if you have a psychological disorder from talking to yourself out loud, if it is normal or you should seek professional help. The answer is that if all other areas of your life and behavior are normal, talking alone is also completely normal.

What is not normal is hearing voices, these are auditory hallucinations and are characteristic of a serious mental illness; schizophrenia. It can also be delusional disorder.

Definitely; if you speak to yourself but don't hear voices, you are one of the millions of people who do. If you speak to yourself, but you also hear voices, then you may have a psychiatric disorder. In this case, it is recommended that you seek professional help.

Differences between self-talk and speaking alone

There are hundreds of investigations into self-talk, which is different from speaking alone. Internal dialogue is talking to yourself but at "volume 0".

Talking alone is doing it to yourself but at "medium or high volume." However, on a cognitive (thinking) and benefits level it is very similar; In general, from scientific research it is known that positive internal dialogue has positive effects on results and mood.

Are there benefits of talking to yourself?

These are the main benefits:

Solve problems

In children it is normal to speak only to solve problems. Of course, once they learn and internalize speech, they only speak to themselves in the most complicated tasks.

Some adults also speak to themselves when a problem is complex to solve, has many possible alternatives, or does not have a clear solution.

Reinforcement

You don't need to wait for someone to say something positive to you or compliment you when you do something right. You can do it yourself. In fact, it is advisable to reinforce yourself by saying positive phrases to yourself such as: "You have done very well", "you are a crack" or "very well!"

Reflection

Sometimes we make decisions without thinking and impulsively. Well speaking out loud is one of the best ways to clarify ideas and reflect on what is good for you and what is not, what strategies you can carry out or think about past mistakes.

Set and remember goals

Writing objectives is one of the best techniques to achieve what you set out to do. Talking can only help you set unclear goals and remember them when you find something missing.

Strengthens memory

Psychologists Lupyan and Swingley carried out an experiment where it was shown that self-directed speech helps improve memory.

Act as a guide to behavior

We have all talked to ourselves at times to guide a behavior or learn a new activity, such as learning to drive. This serves to give us the necessary indications; belt first, then insert key, etc.

Can increase intelligence

A North American study, published by the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, assures that speaking alone can help develop neural connections.

Other benefits:

Put problems in perspective.
Organize your thinking.
Help make decisions.
Release tension and stress.
Be aware of irrational thoughts (thoughts not objective or based on reality).
Helps to feel more comfortable in solitude.
It can help you be more creative.

Can it be bad to speak alone?

In the mood

Talk to yourself in a negative way if it has negative effects; it will cause a negative mood and anxiety or depression may arise.

Talking to yourself in a positive way has beneficial effects on your mood and general health.

Possible mental illness?

There are only a few conditions in which talking to yourself can be a sign of mental illness and is almost always followed by other signs or symptoms.

For example, talking to yourself can be a symptom of schizophrenia but it is not the only symptom of this mental illness, much less the main one.

In this case, there are other main symptoms; hallucinations, behavior changes, delusions, social isolation, paranoid delusions… Therefore, if talking to yourself is followed by one of these symptoms, it is worrying and you should go to a professional.

In general, and except for other symptoms or behavior problems, you can consider that talking to yourself is not bad, nor a sign of mental illness.

You should only be concerned if it interferes with your normal functioning or ends in negative thoughts. For example, talking to oneself in a negative way could lead to depression, although this also has to fulfill other characteristics such as sleeping little or a lot, eating little or a lot, negative ideas about the past, present and future, social isolation…

What do you think? Can you tell me your experiences? I'm interested in! Thank you.

Conclusions

In short, talking to yourself once in a while is normal, even healthy, and is not in itself a sign of mental illness, so don't be afraid to do it.

The cases that would have to go to a professional would be:

Talking to yourself on the street, out loud and about strange or imaginary situations (could be a symptom of schizophrenia).
Saying negative, depressing things to yourself, negative ideas…
Produces discomfort.

It is normal when:

You are doing something, reflecting or trying to solve a problem.

Talking to yourself is not bad, most people do it and we learn to do them as children to guide us in the activities we do.

You should be concerned if it is accompanied by other symptoms, such as delusions or hallucinations. In that case, I advise you to go to a psychiatrist so that he can make a better evaluation.

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References

http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/dev/
http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/
http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/
http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/ccp/
http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/

SPEAK ALONE, WHAT DOES PSYCHOLOGY SAY? IS IT BAD OR GOOD? - ARTE - 2025