The Science Behind Talking To Yourself

1A

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4.4 • 4.3K Ratings

🗓️ 18 December 2024

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Have you ever gotten into an impassioned argument in the shower with a sparring partner who... wasn't actually there?

How about replaying a dinner party conversation from weeks ago but this time, you know exactly what to say and you're saying it... to yourself?

Whether the dialogue is in our heads or said aloud, many of us talk to ourselves, even if we don't realize it. But oftentimes the habit is seen as strange — especially if there are others around.

We get into why so many of us talk to ourselves, and what the benefits of self-talk.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This message comes from Wondery Kids and the number one kids science podcast, Wow in the World. Be wowed by fascinating companion audio stories that come exclusively with each Wow in the shower with a sparring partner who actually wasn't there?
0:30.3	How about replaying a dinner conversation from weeks ago?
0:33.2	But this time, you know exactly what to say and you're saying it only to yourself. Or have you ever
0:38.9	muttered under your breath? Where did I put my keys? Where did I put my keys while searching for them
0:45.8	around the house? For a number of you, the answer is yes. Yes, I talk to myself all the time. I have
0:52.2	arguments with myself, you know, and lose.
0:54.4	I grew up as an only child, so maybe that has something to do with it.
0:56.9	But one thing I recognize is that I will have an argument in my mind, you know, with someone
1:01.7	who isn't there and work myself up into a state. And I have to tell myself, hey, hey, stop.
1:06.0	You can't get all wild up, you know, in an argument with someone who isn't even here. For the past 30 years, I've been a traveling farm tractor mechanic in the Shenandoah Valley of
1:15.6	Virginia, which often put me on hundreds of acres all by myself, and believe me, I would talk to
1:21.6	myself a lot.
1:22.8	I don't talk to myself, but I learned that my husband does shortly after we were married when I heard
1:28.6	him say something from the other room. And I said, what was that? And he said, oh, I was talking to
1:33.1	myself. And I said, oh, okay, well, what were you saying? And he paused. And he said, I was talking
1:38.9	to myself. I thought it was so funny. Thanks for those messages. And yes, on more than one occasion,
1:46.0	my husband has said, what did you say? I'm like, dude, I'm talking to myself, it's fine.
1:51.9	Whether the dialogue is in our heads or said out loud, many of us talk to ourselves, even if we don't
1:56.9	realize it. But oftentimes, the habit is seen as strange, especially if there are other
2:01.3	people around. Why do we talk to ourselves? What are the benefits of self-talk? And when should we be
2:07.6	concerned about it? I'm Jen White. You're listening to the 1A podcast where we get to the heart of the
2:12.6	story. We'll be back with more in just a moment.
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