# Do you think talking to yourself is pathological? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 19, 2006, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-talking-to-yourself-is-pathological/384759 "2006-12-19T06:22:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-talking-to-yourself-is-pathological/384759/1 "2006-12-19T06:22:44Z")
Look…I’ve talked to myself my whole life. Sometimes I need to hear my thoughts articulated in so many words to see if they make sense. I do this when I’m alone. But of course occasionally I get overheard. :o . And some people think I’m nuts. But I think as long as I know there’s no one else listening and talking back, I’m not nuts. Merely eccentric. I think it helps my thought process. What do you think? Do you do it? ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-talking-to-yourself-is-pathological/384759/2 "2006-12-19T06:27:53Z")
I do on occasion. Not a lot, but usually short statements like “that was stupid” or something similar. Hell, I did it just now to test it out. ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-talking-to-yourself-is-pathological/384759/3 "2006-12-19T08:56:01Z")
No. Yes. NO! YES! SHUT UP! YOU shut up! I talk to myself all the time. I think it’s pretty normal really… ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-talking-to-yourself-is-pathological/384759/4 "2006-12-19T09:07:22Z")
Eh, I don’t see anything abnormal in it. Then again, since I do it myself, I probably wouldn’t. I mostly call myself names and otherwise chide myself. I also try out bits of dialogue and descriptions aloud. Now, if you say things like, “Yessss, my Preciousssss, we’ll ssstranglesss them in their sleepsesss”, _that_ might be pathological. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-talking-to-yourself-is-pathological/384759/5 "2006-12-19T09:26:55Z")
I was just thinking about this yesterday. I went on about a 5 mile walk and intermittently vocalized some of my thoughts during the walk. I think it was more out of boredom than anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-talking-to-yourself-is-pathological/384759/6 "2006-12-19T10:18:38Z")
[QUOTE=if6was9] No. Yes. NO! YES! SHUT UP! YOU shut up! I talk to myself all the time. I think it’s pretty normal really… [/QUOTE] Damn, beaten to it. 😉 I talk to myself quite a lot while working, especially when trying to visualise problems. When I was studying physics, I’d often be found sitting at my desk waving my hands in the air, muttering to myself. I think it’s a useful way to organise my thoughts and see how they’re fitting together. I often talk to myself in my head as well, a sort of running monologue of “Hmm, what happens if we try this?” and “So what we really need to do is to make that class a subclass of THIS one!” - but again, it’s more in problem-solving mode. I do occassionally acknowledge things like “Ye gods, you’re an idiot” when looking at myself in the mirror after a night on the tiles which wasn’t a particularly good idea on a weekday, and I should probably also say I find I talk to myself more when I spend extended periods of time alone. I \*think \*I’m still within the bounds of “eccentric”. ---
**Author:** ![bundykala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@bundykala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bundykala)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-talking-to-yourself-is-pathological/384759/7 "2006-12-19T10:24:35Z")
The problem with talking to myself is I always get caught up in an argument with myself about whether I should refer to me as “you” or “I,” I can never ever agree on which one is more appropriate. However, I think the OP is just referring to thinking alous. That’s different. And perfectly normal. I am especially prone to doing that when I’m practicing something, and pause because I did something wrong and start criticising myself out loud without really thinking about it. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-talking-to-yourself-is-pathological/384759/8 "2006-12-19T10:29:54Z")
The way I understand it, it’s perfectly normal to talk to yourself, but if you start having a conversation, then all bets are off… ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-talking-to-yourself-is-pathological/384759/9 "2006-12-19T10:33:23Z")
Sure, all the time. We’re all mostly just entertaining ourselves anyway, so why not? ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-talking-to-yourself-is-pathological/384759/10 "2006-12-19T10:43:43Z")
I’ve worked the overnight shift for years now. I don’t think I talked to myself before this but I certainly do now. I think the two are related, but I don’t think it’s all that strange. Now if you would like to talk about my fear of umbrellas… ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-talking-to-yourself-is-pathological/384759/11 "2006-12-19T10:58:21Z")
I do most of my self-talk silently or extremely quietly. What I do out loud, though, is narrate. I’ll do it on the phone or in the middle of a face-to-face conversation, too. I do it mostly for the amusement of my friends. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-talking-to-yourself-is-pathological/384759/12 "2006-12-19T11:04:53Z")
I’ve talked to myself all my life. Lately, though, I’ve noticed that I’ll tell myself things that I’ve already figured out. Like: “Hmmm, I wonder where my keys are.” - remembers that I put them in my jacket pocket the night before, several seconds pass - “Ah, they’re in my jacket pocket!” As if I just thought of it. Is that weird? ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-talking-to-yourself-is-pathological/384759/13 "2006-12-19T11:20:50Z")
I only swear at myself. “OUCH FUCK!” ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-talking-to-yourself-is-pathological/384759/14 "2006-12-19T11:44:52Z")
The only intelligent conversation I get is when I talk to myself. And my dog. And cat. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-talking-to-yourself-is-pathological/384759/15 "2006-12-19T11:51:34Z")
I’d…like to exercise my 5th Amendment rightsin regards to this question. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-talking-to-yourself-is-pathological/384759/16 "2006-12-19T13:14:25Z")
No, and neither do any of the voices in my head. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-talking-to-yourself-is-pathological/384759/17 "2006-12-19T13:26:00Z")
I don’t have much opportunity to do it these days, but in the past, I had to make frequent long drives. Usually, I’d sing along with the radio, but sometimes if I had something on my mind, I’d tell myself about it out loud, explaining the whole thing as if I were telling someone else. Then I’d describe my feelings about the situation, alternatives I’d tried, etc…I could have talked aloud for hours. And usually, by the end of the trip, I’d have some sort of new insight. If I were a religious person, maybe I would call talking to myself praying, and call the insight my answer from God. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-talking-to-yourself-is-pathological/384759/18 "2006-12-19T13:28:14Z")
I talk to myself all the time. Yeah, I get snickered at all the time. But I don’t believe it’s pathological at all. I do it to organize my thoughts and if I’m alone for a while, it kills the boredom. What would be pathological is talking to oneself and thinking you were talking to someone else. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-talking-to-yourself-is-pathological/384759/19 "2006-12-19T13:30:10Z")
's OK so long as you don’t get into a fistfight with yourself. I’m told those hurt. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-talking-to-yourself-is-pathological/384759/20 "2006-12-19T13:43:22Z")
A secret talent I have is doing accents. I can do a killer Aussie accent, something that few people can pull off. I practice my art in the car. Well, in between belting out “We Belong.” That’s pretty weird, but not pathological. Right?? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-talking-to-yourself-is-pathological/384759.md?page=2)