Many people talk to themselves, often without even realizing it. Some people even think it’s a sign of craziness, but according to science, talking to oneself is quite intelligent. In fact, directing internal conversation at oneself can even enhance the visual system and improve focus. If you’ve ever talked to yourself to find something, you’ve already experienced the benefits of self-directed speech.

So, why do people talk to themselves in the first place? In most cases, it’s to remind themselves to focus on what they’re doing. For instance, when looking for a pair of keys or shopping for a particular item in the supermarket, it’s common to use self-talk as a way of clarifying one’s thoughts.

Recently, a study conducted by Gary Lupyan and Daniel Swingley demonstrated that directing your speech inwardly or outwardly is actually quite significant. They found that when one speaks out loud, they are essentially cueing the visual system to perform better. The aim of the study was to evaluate if self-directed speech has an impact on one’s visual perception, and the results were astonishing.

The 26 undergraduates who participated in the study (fifty percent male and fifty percent female) were given search tasks in a complex supermarket display. Lupyan discovered that hearing the name of the item helped participants find the objects at a faster rate than if they were only thinking about them. Essentially, hearing the name of the item helps one to focus better and cue the system to get ready to perform.

The research suggests that doing it until it comes naturally to you will help you to complete goals and tasks. If you speak out loud while you’re looking for an item, you’ll improve your visual system to detect the item better. Participants were asked to look for common objects, and the study found that the more the word was spoken aloud differentiated from the object the participant was looking for, the worse their performance became. However, with precise labels, the participant’s performance improved significantly.

The results demonstrated that those little self-directed conversations have been helping us all along. Next time you’re searching for something, speak out loud, and check if you found it faster than usual. Want to increase your brain function? Simply talk to yourself. Make your brain perform better and do your bidding more efficiently by chatting with yourself.

Visioning and visualizing

There have been many benefits associated with visualizing what one wants to achieve. Seeing the goal, you want to achieve or having it accomplished in the mind’s eye before trying to manifest it in daily life can help with things going as planned. It’s an early stage in the creation process.

Visualizing objects can also help you to see them better through your eyes. Being able to visualize an object helps you to physically see it better. This enables you to have a better chance of achieving your goals.

The research summarized, “Speaking facilitated search, particularly when there was a strong association between the name and the visual target. As the discrepancy between the name and the target increased, speaking began to impair performance.” This implies that if you’re searching for coffee online, for instance, and you begin thinking about cellphones, you’ll become less productive, and your search will become ineffective.

Self-talk in everyday life

So, how can we improve our lives by using self-talk? Firstly, start talking to yourself more often. You can do this by having conversations with yourself about various things you’re interested in, like an interview or sales call. Or, even during an important conversation with someone important in your life.

Science is on your side. Going through simple exercises like speaking out loud is worth your while. However, it may seem elementary, but self-talk is actually a high-level form of preparation and focus. Therefore, next time you find yourself drifting apart from the task or activity you are doing, try and apply self-directed speech to complete it more productively.

In conclusion, talking to oneself might seem like a crazy thing to do, but in reality, it’s intelligent and productive. Directing internal conversation towards oneself can enhance the visual system, improve focus, and help manifest goals. Moreover, it helps to clarify thoughts and can be used as an effective tool for improving productivity. So next time you find yourself talking to yourself, know that science supports you!