Artwork by Taryn Kim
Many of us can relate to having some sort of internal conversation with ourselves, verbal or non-verbal. Whether to keep ourselves company, help with decision-making, or just for no particular reason at all, self-talk is an intriguing phenomenon in human behaviour that can be beneficial for our everyday lives.
Self-talk, or the act of talking to yourself, is part of natural and healthy human behaviour. According to studies, as much as 96% of adults say they have an internal dialogue, and while it is less common, around 25% self-talk out loud in everyday situations. Verbal self-talking can begin from ages as young as 2 or 3, but will slowly decline throughout development and become primarily internal dialogue. This is often done to help one criticise, reinforce, and manage themselves, as well as to help deal with various social or emotional situations.
In many cultures and social settings, self-talk may be negatively viewed as being indicative of mental instability, although frequently this is not the case. Self-talking, both verbally and non-verbally, is a perfectly healthy and natural mechanism of human behaviour that can keep you positive and benefit your overall mental health. Moreover, self-talk is a way of coping with loneliness for some people who struggle with more social relationships. However, it is when self-talk becomes uncontrollable, erratic, and incomprehensible that it can be a cause for concern, as this could be a symptom of mental illnesses such as anxiety, OCD, and in severe cases schizophrenia or psychosis.
It is important to note that self-talk is a symptom and not a cause, so the act of everyday self-talk itself is not at all harmful. Most self-talk is unconscious and benign it is associated with the organisation of your thoughts and higher mental functions such as reasoning, problem-solving, planning, attention, and motivation. For example, self-talk can help you work through harder concepts in school settings that require breaking down information into bits that are easier to tackle. Or, in the instance of motivation, self-talking can help energise and prepare you for various situations, perhaps through a form of affirmation and reassurance.
On the contrary, it can be an important skill to recognise when your internal conversations become pessimistic or unhelpful. Just like how positive self-talk can help create motivating and a supportive mindset for you, excessively negative and critical self-talk can lower your self-esteem and create a demeaning narrative around your life, which can damage your mental health. Therefore, being self-observant and making an effort to try and be kind to yourself can be massively helpful in getting the most out of self-talking!
To summarise, self-talk is a healthy and normal human tendency to talk to yourself verbally or internally, to help an individual better manage cognitive tasks or difficult situations. Despite being a stereotypically negative behaviour, when properly exercised, self-talk can be a tremendously helpful resource in improving your mental health and well-being.
References:
Porrey. (2022, November 4). Is It Normal to Talk to Yourself? Verywell Health. Retrieved December 10, 2023, from https://www.verywellhealth.com/is-talking-to-yourself-normal-5272241
Why Do People Talk to Themselves? (2023, June 27). WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/balance/why-people-talk-to-themselves
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