Have you ever found yourself having a conversation with yourself? Have you ever turned red with shame when you notice that those around you are watching you, looking at you and telling you that you are crazy? Turns out, there’s really no reason to be embarrassed about speaking alone , at all. You’re probably just a genius.
How can this be possible? You’re probably thinking, don’t just crazy people speak alone? Society has built this negative stigma around speaking alone, so many feel embarrassed when caught. Turns out, according to science, it’s actually a sign of being a genius.
Science says talking is really only about geniuses
Researcher-psychologist Gary Lupyan conducted an experiment where 20 volunteers were shown objects in a supermarket, and asked to remember them. Half of them were told to mention the objects while looking for them, for example, “banana”, and the other half were asked to remain silent. In the end, the result showed that self-directed speaking helped people find objects more quickly, between 50 and 100 milliseconds, compared to silent ones.
“I often go mumbling as I search for something in the fridge or on supermarket shelves,” Lupyan said. This personal experience really made him conduct this experiment. Lupyan, along with another psychologist, Daniel Swigley, came to the results that those who speak to themselves are geniuses. These are the reasons:
Talking only helps you stay focused
When you speak to yourself, you stay focused on your task, and it helps you to recognize those things immediately. Of course, this only helps if you know what the object you are looking for looks like. For example, a banana is yellow, and you know what a banana looks like. So when you are naming it strong, your brain immediately forms images of that image in your mind. But if you don’t know what the banana looks like, then there is no effect by saying it out loud.
Talking only stimulates memory
When you are speaking to yourself, your sensory mechanism kicks in. Your memory improves as you can visualize the word, and you can act accordingly. According to a study published in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, a person who talks to himself while trying to find a lost object will locate it more quickly than one who does not.
This is a result of the approach described above, as well as other factors. When we verbalize a problem, we use more of our brain to focus on it. We are also more inclined to remember the things we say and do than the things we simply think. When we speak to ourselves, we engage various parts of the brain to process relevant information, rather than just one or two.
Talking only makes it easier to be better
Talking alone gives you the opportunity to encourage your subconscious from the outside. Often we consciously want to achieve certain goals, but slow down or stop due to subconscious lack of cooperation. When we talk to ourselves, we give direction and motivation. Use positive affirmations. Define the person you want to be.
Then, verbalize your goals to make them real. Take a look in the mirror every morning and set your goals for the day. There is something powerful in meeting you with your own eyes and saying: “Today I will be brave. I’m going to ask my boss for a raise / improve my jogging time / buy my neighbor for coffee. ” Speaking only you can commit yourself in a certain way, rather than simply hope for the best.
Helps you clarify your thoughts
Each of us tends to have various types of thoughts. Most make sense, while the others don’t. Suppose you are angry with someone and feel the need to hurt that person. For this problem, you won’t run to see a therapist, right? No, what you do is lock yourself in a room and mutter to yourself.
You are letting go of anger by talking to yourself about the pros and cons of hurting that person, and eventually you calm down. This is a silly thought that you have and are unable to share it with anyone else. Psychologist Linda Sapadin says, “It helps clear your thoughts, leans on what’s important, and reaffirms all the decisions you are contemplating.”
So, if you’ve ever been told that you’re crazy for talking to yourself, just turn around, smile, and wink, you know that you’re actually playing a genius.