Speaking out loud to yourself was found to be a trait of higher cognitive function. .(Source:FilePhoto)
While talking to yourself is an absolute social no-no, possibly pointing towards a disorder, research suggests otherwise. For what can now be considered a brilliant news for your social stature, talking to yourself may indicate a higher level of intelligence.
According to scientists at the Bangor University, speaking out loud to yourself was “found to be a trait of higher cognitive function”.
In the course of the study conducted by the University, 28 participants were given instructions in which they were asked to either read out loud or quietly to themselves. The researchers then observed how the participants performed the tasks. It was found that the participants who read the instructions out loud were more focused and performed the task more efficiently than the ones who read quietly to themselves.
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Psychologist and co-author of the study, Dr Paloma Mari-Beffa, concluded that “the benefits of talking to yourself may come from simply hearing oneself, as auditory commands seem to be better controllers of behaviour than written ones”.
“Even if we talk to ourselves to gain control during challenging tasks, performance substantially improves when we do it out loud”, she added.
In a recent tweet, Psychology Living commented that “Generally, talking to yourself is a sign of higher intelligence. In fact, those who talk to themselves tend to achieve more in life.”
So, the next time you find yourself in a conversation with, well yourself, instead of thinking you have hit borderline crazy, you can rejoice in it. Maybe others who do not understand why anyone would talk out loud to themselves are not there yet.
