MENTALHEALTH.INFOLABMED.COM A former professor once revealed a fascinating trick.

By describing a headache aloud—its hue, texture, and even imagining it as a talking six-year-old—its severity often dwindled, sometimes vanishing entirely.

This process effectively externalized the discomfort.

Translating silent suffering and formless feelings into spoken words diminished their painful grip.

My professor explained that individuals who verbalize their emotions, rather than internalizing them, typically experience shorter emotional episodes and quicker recovery.

The act of voicing turns internal chaos into a coherent narrative.

This narrative then fosters understanding.

Ultimately, understanding itself provides a profound soothing effect.

More Than Just Mumbling: The Cognitive Edge of Self-Talk

Perhaps this inherent human need partly explains why some people instinctively talk aloud to themselves.

Provided you don't stigmatize self-talk as peculiar or neurotic, verbalizing thoughts is actually linked to enhanced cognitive functioning.

It can significantly aid problem-solving abilities.

Memory retention also sees improvements.

Even self-control can be boosted through this simple practice.

Far from being a fault in our mental processing, it's genuinely an upgrade.

Consider the research by neuroscience expert Kyle Cox.

He found that individuals who articulate tasks aloud complete them 25 percent faster and with fewer errors than those who work silently.

This happens because vocalizing creates a powerful feedback loop.

This loop efficiently catches mistakes and helps maintain unwavering focus.

In one particular study, basketball players demonstrated improved speed and performance.

This occurred when they verbally described their moves during play, especially when using a positive tone.

A study conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison tasked participants with finding specific objects, such as a picture of a fork, amidst a collection of random photographs.

When participants spoke the name of the object they were seeking aloud, actively maintaining its visual image in their minds, they completed the task much quicker.

This technique could readily apply to everyday situations, like effortlessly locating your car keys or eyeglasses.

Similarly, the act of speaking aloud robustly strengthens memory.

Our minds tend to retain spoken words more effectively than those kept silent.

When trying to recall a phone number or a license plate, reciting it aloud a few times proves remarkably helpful.

"Rubber Duck Debugging" and Critical Thinking

Even computer programmers leverage a technique known as "rubber duck debugging."

They literally place a rubber duck on their desk, the kind you might find in a bathroom.

Whenever they encounter a complex coding challenge, they explain the problem in detail to the inanimate duck.

This simple act of verbalizing the problem often helps them find the solution themselves.

Nana Ariel from Tel Aviv University notes that talking aloud to oneself more vividly "summons up the image of an imagined listener or interrogator."

This allows for more critical self-questioning.

By adopting an external perspective on one's own ideas, individuals can effectively scrutinize potential shortcomings in their arguments.

The Social Paradox and Personal Liberation

Of course, talking aloud to oneself challenges the common societal assumption.

We typically view talking as an interaction exclusively with other people, unless one is a very young child.

Even in childhood, self-talk typically diminishes around ages six or seven, once children enter school, where it’s often labelled as odd or disruptive.

Generally, there are no socially acceptable circumstances where you might excuse yourself by saying, "I'm sorry, I can't come right now, I'm busy talking to myself."

However, a surprising benefit of our hyper-connected world has emerged for me personally.

I can now talk aloud to myself in public or in my car—a habit I've always had—and people simply assume I'm on the phone or using earbuds.

This newfound social acceptance is tremendously liberating.

The reality is, most people engage in self-talk occasionally.

Often, it's just spontaneous commentary on their surroundings, like "Wow" or "Whoa."

It might also be expressions of daily exasperations, perhaps involving a chosen expletive.

Or even observations about fellow commuters, such as "Dude, pick a lane."

But in my case, as a writer and teacher, thinking aloud serves as a crucial professional tool.

It's an excellent way to gauge how my ideas will resonate with an "imagined listener."

It also helps me pinpoint awkward phrasing.

I can identify off-putting tones.

Crucially, it reveals gaps in my logic.

This holds true whether I am recording thoughts for an upcoming writing project.

It's equally useful when rehearsing material for a public speaking engagement.

Or even when preparing for a particularly challenging conversation.

Emotional Release and Mental Clarity

Moreover, it acts as a mechanism to lower my internal emotional temperature.

When something frustrates me, like the day's political news, I often pace around the house.

I make fiery declarations and gesture emphatically with my fingers.

I find this process helps "burn off" the emotion cleanly.

It prevents it from building up internally like emotional "soot."

There's something deeply cathartic about hearing these feelings expressed aloud, even if not loudly.

Most of us have experienced letting out an expletive after dropping a plate on the kitchen floor.

Or perhaps missing an important exit on the freeway.

It serves as a kind of rapid emotional release mechanism.

Furthermore, because speaking is inherently slower than thinking, talking to myself intentionally slows me down.

This deliberate pace promotes greater mindfulness.

It enhances self-awareness.

It helps me to more thoroughly understand my thoughts and feelings.

I can unpack complex ideas with greater clarity.

It assists in breaking free from repetitive mental loops.

Vague ideas and feelings are transformed into concrete statements.

These statements can then be meticulously examined and cross-examined.

Indeed, it's simply easier to grasp what I truly think when I can actually hear what I say.

Besides, when you talk aloud to yourself, you possess the comforting assurance that at least someone is genuinely listening.