# Why DO people talk to themselves? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 1, 2002, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-to-themselves/139771 "2002-12-01T13:27:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Freejack00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Freejack00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejack00)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-to-themselves/139771/21 "2002-12-01T23:38:42Z")
I see no problem with talking to oneself as long as someone who’s not there doesn’t answer back. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-to-themselves/139771/22 "2002-12-02T15:53:54Z")
I answer myself. When I have to make a decision, I think in two voices – one uses the “I” pronoun and the other addresses the “I” voice. E.g., “I don’t know what to do!” “All right, calm down. Do X first, and then Y.” “But what if I can’t do X?” “You’ll be fine. Come on.” I think of the “I” voice as the child and the “you” voice as the internalized parent. Sometimes, I have these discussions out loud. I also talk out loud when I have imaginary conversations with people who aren’t there, usually conversations I would never have the opportunity to get into for real. Why, yes, I do live alone. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![mrcrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@mrcrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrcrow)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-to-themselves/139771/23 "2002-12-02T16:02:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by muttrox \* > \*\*I’m no expert, but it’s my understanding that the language systems to some degree are hardwired in our brain. Perhaps saying things out loud forces thoughts into a different pattern. Ferisntance, you can’t parralel process your output, you can only say one thing at a time, which must force some kind of focus to the thinking. Seems like that might be desirable sometimes. \*\* this is what i think as well by talking to myself i can make better sense of what i am thinking as if it is a qualifying test of integrity of reason i once talked to myself so long i changed my mind through my own reasoning to do something i originally and selfishly was not going to do a sort of alter ego…it made me alter what i thought was right for me? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![twelfthsign](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@twelfthsign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twelfthsign)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-to-themselves/139771/24 "2002-12-02T16:27:10Z")
Personally its a release of emotions, when there is absolutely not a soul to whom you can voice out, when you need to. But I oftendo that to kill boredem. When I’m driving home at 3am. I mostly hold an inane conversation with my self, and yes indeed have even asked myself aloud as to why in good lords name am I talking to myself. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-to-themselves/139771/25 "2002-12-02T16:47:08Z")
Yeah, I do when I’m alone. Frequently loud enough it’s heard in other rooms. ---
**Author:** ![Janx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Janx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Janx)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-to-themselves/139771/26 "2002-12-02T18:11:18Z")
GOOD QUESTION! I do this all the time, generally with out my own knowledge, often to the point where my wife has said “WTF are you talking about!”. Generally it comes in the form of a brain that is going a zillion miles an hour with regard to a stressful situation. A confrontation with a neighbor lets say or something intense where I jog the dialog around in my head, get lost in the to roles involved and just plain don’t realize that my lips are moving. Generally not audible beyond whispers, but very unnerving when you space out for a minute or two and when you come back all your friends are looking at you like the mother ship just abandoned you. “Dude! You were just having a full bore conversation with somebody thats not here!” Doc’s I work with say that it’s just the product of a rather vivid imagination. (The antidote seems to be, generally, a combination of Bob Marley blasted at high volume while playing a quick game of Doom!)😃 ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-to-themselves/139771/27 "2002-12-02T18:41:18Z")
BTW-At college I met an interpreter who signed lectures for deaf students. He answered some questions I’d had for years. ``` Deaf people do sign to themselves while thinking, just as hearing people talk to themselves. The interpreter(can't remember his name) admitted that he sometimes did both. ``` ---
**Author:** ![Roadfood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@Roadfood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadfood)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-to-themselves/139771/28 "2002-12-02T18:50:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gallows fodder \* > **I also talk out loud when I have imaginary conversations with people who aren’t there . . .** As opposed to having imaginary conversations with people who ARE there? ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-to-themselves/139771/29 "2002-12-02T19:43:09Z")
**mrcrow said** > [@](#): > > this is what i think as well > by talking to myself i can make better sense of what i am thinking as if it is a qualifying test of integrity of reason > i once talked to myself so long i changed my mind through my own reasoning to do something i originally and selfishly was not going to do > a sort of alter ego…it made me alter what i thought was right for me? When you talk to yourself, do you use capitalization and punctuation? If not, you might consider using them for your own benefit. I know it would greatly increase the possibility of me being able to understand what you are trying to say. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-to-themselves/139771/30 "2002-12-02T21:54:30Z")
Jules Verne’s character Jean Passepartout talked to himself, because “…not only do I enjoy talking to an intelligent man, but I enjoy hearing what an intelligent man has to say.” ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-to-themselves/139771/31 "2002-12-02T22:44:34Z")
Can someone tell me what they say when they talk to themselves? ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-to-themselves/139771/32 "2002-12-02T23:49:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Janx \* > \*\*I do this all the time, generally with out my own knowledge, often to the point where my wife has said “WTF are you talking about!”. > > Generally it comes in the form of a brain that is going a zillion miles an hour > \< snip \> > Doc’s I work with say that it’s just the product of a rather vivid imagination. \*\* I do this as well and also when my thoughts go a mile a minute. I have an exceptionally good memory too, so I tend to file away data rather quickly and I get bored. Unless my mind is challenged with new stuff, it gets restless and I keep myself amused by authoring narratives in the back of my mind (kind of like keeping the TV on for background noise). It pretty much only happens when I’m doing repetitive work that requires no thought. Once in awhile the dialogue actually comes out of my mouth. No one really notices though because I mutter obscenities at my computer a lot (damn recalcitrant software!). That being said, there are some psychiatric disorders that can be indicated by talking to oneself – aside from schizophrenia, which has already been mentioned (where a person may be responding to “voices”). For example, someone who is bipolar and in the midst of a manic episode may feel pressure to keep talking and may end up “narrating” their actions like “I’m sitting at the desk typing a message to post to the SDMB with a click of my mouse the message is off…” They may also develop a penchant for “clang-associations” (kind of like spontaneously rhyming for the fun of it.) Generally though, IMHO it’s a combination of focussing thoughts, enjoying the sound of one’s own voice (like the babbling of a baby who just lieks making noise), and a need for that extra tid-bit of stimulus. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-to-themselves/139771/33 "2002-12-03T06:51:55Z")
As someone else said, I see nothing wrong with people having conversations with living things that verifiably exist (Themselves, pets, etc). Now talking to “Bob” when there is no “Bob” makes me feel at least slightly edgy. But then again, I sometimes yell at my computer, so I guess I’m not the kind of person to make these kind of judgements. Usually “WORK! DAMN YOU! WORK!” or, if I’m playing a computer game, “They’re coming out of the fucking walls!”, or “Air Support! Where is my Air Support?!” I also yell at the TV at times, but usally only during Horror movies “NO, Don’t go in there!” However, I’m comfortable with my insanity. ---
**Author:** ![partly\_warmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@partly\_warmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/partly_warmer)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-to-themselves/139771/34 "2002-12-03T07:17:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\*Can someone tell me what they say when they talk to themselves? \*\* Definitely. It’s alternately both sides of a conversation I plan to have, or which I might have done differently. I’m one of the conversationalists. The other is a real or hypothetical “straw man”. However in the case of rehearsing a speech, the words are mostly mine, and the “other” player is limited to non-verbal response. In the special case where I’m writing fiction, I take the part of every character by turn, as well as the narrator. Possibly a hypothetical reader response will be included. Note that in all these conversations a salient element is liable to be a number of repetitions to “get it right”. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-to-themselves/139771/35 "2002-12-03T13:13:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\*Can someone tell me what they say when they talk to themselves? \*\* Well, if I’m talking to myself because I’m _concentrating_ on a task, it’ll likely be jargon-filled-mumblings, or else I will be vocalizing both sides of an argument if I’m theorizing/analysing. If because I’m in _Dolly Daydream mode_ because I’m bored and fantasizing, it’ll be loser to what **partly\_warmer** wrote when you’re mentally scripting dialogue for a scene, testing it, hearing it, editing it. Or I’ll say something along the lines of: “Back off brimstone breath! I am Crayons the Vampire Slayer!” ---
**Author:** ![Another\_Primate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Another\_Primate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Another_Primate)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-to-themselves/139771/36 "2002-12-03T15:16:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\*Can someone tell me what they say when they talk to themselves? \*\* At work, aloud: “Where am I going?” or “Why am I here?” I’ll be walking down one of the hallways, trying to solve a problem on the way, and forget where I’m headed. Restroom? Conference room? Back to my office? (I usually figure it out pretty quickly, and I’m usually not overheard.) ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-to-themselves/139771/37 "2002-12-03T15:24:20Z")
Thanks for all those who told me what they say to themselves. Can anyone tell me what those people on the street corners are saying to themselves? Yes, Deaf people often sign to the tv during football games… ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-to-themselves/139771/38 "2002-12-03T16:42:26Z")
In conclusion talking to ureself is??? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-to-themselves/139771/39 "2002-12-03T21:53:44Z")
I talk to myself for a few reasons. First, it helps settle my thoughts and arrange them into a coherent order. Making myself verbalize them and arrange feelings and ideas into sentences and paragraphs helps me realize what it is I’m trying to say, and how I could best say it to someone else. This also helps to relax me. If I can tell myself some absurd joke, or run through how I would handle the worst-case scenario, I can commonly turn a challenging experience (most of them social) into something manageable. Second, it’s to relieve boredom. I’m not the most outgoing person, but my mind still enjoys even false external stimuli. So I might deliver a lecture on the history of the UNIX operating system to my own audient void. 🙂 Third, it’s an interesting mental exercise to create false personas. I especially do this when I’m reading a good novel: I’ll commonly `internalize' the protagonist or the author to the point where I can hold mock conversations with it. When I read *Starship Troopers*, I commonly create a `Johnny Rico’ inside my head and discuss the morality of his governmental system. Some personas I find more interesting than others, and so I keep them around a bit longer: I haven’t read a Thomas Harris book in ages, but `Hannibal Lecter’ is still padding around in the darker recesses of my cavernous mental castle. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-to-themselves/139771.md?page=1)