Do you talk to yourself? Rest assured, the habit is completely within the norm — and can even be beneficial.

“Yes, research shows that talking to yourself and answering back is not at all ‘crazy’ and that, in fact, it is a normal human behavior,” clinical psychologist Carla Marie Manly, Ph.D. tells us. “We are accustomed to self-talk in the mind, yet we sometimes feel that this same self-talk — when expressed orally — is a sign of being odd or crazy. In fact, speaking out loud to oneself allows us to sort through our thoughts in a more conscious manner.”

According to Manly, when we express our thoughts and feelings out loud, we become more aware of what is taking place in the mind, which is beneficial for our mental health. The processes involved in speaking aloud cause us to slow down a bit as we access the brain’s language centers. “In this way, we become more conscious of the mind’s ramblings and can then become more intentional,” the psychologist says.

Why do people talk to themselves?

Several scientific theories attempt to explain why people talk to themselves.

We talk to ourselves to combat loneliness

The Social Isolation Theory suggests that individuals engage in external self-talk as a way to compensate for the lack of social interaction. When people find themselves isolated or lacking companionship, talking to oneself becomes a means to fulfill the need for social connection and emotional expression. In simple words, when we talk to ourselves, we tend to feel less lonely since it makes us feel like we actually have someone to talk to.

We talk to ourselves to organize our thoughts

Another theory is the Cognitive Disruption Theory, which proposes that self-talk helps individuals regulate their attention and focus. By verbalizing their thoughts, people can better organize information, solve problems, and enhance their cognitive processes. Self-talk acts as an external aid, allowing individuals to maintain concentration and mental clarity, especially when facing complex or challenging tasks.

Research is on Manly’s side: A 2011 study printed in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology examined the benefits of talking to oneself by assigning 20 participants to locate certain objects in a supermarket. During one trial, no one was allowed to talk as they searched for the given grocery items. However, in the second trial, the participants were told that they could repeat the names of the objects aloud as they searched for them.

In the second trial, it was easier for subjects to locate the items. Talking to themselves out loud sparked their memory and created a stronger association between language and visual targets.

We talk to ourselves to motivate ourselves

Furthermore, the Self-Reinforcement Theory suggests that people talk to themselves as a form of self-motivation and encouragement. By providing positive affirmations or giving themselves instructions, individuals can boost their self-confidence, regulate their behavior, and improve their performance in various activities.

A study published in Procedia — Social and Behavioral Sciences researched how motivational self-talk impacted basketball players during practice. The scientists found that when the players said encouraging words to themselves out loud, they ended up passing the ball faster.

Researchers discovered that using the second or third person within positive self-talk (for example: “You’ve got this!”) was more effective.

They also discovered that using the second or third person within positive self-talk (for example: “You’ve got this!”) was more effective and caused the athlete to perform better. This is due to the self-distancing component within the language: Even though you’re talking to yourself, you’re creating more separation in the scenario, as if in a third-person perspective.

Researchers discovered that using the second or third person within positive self-talk (for example: “You’ve got this!”) was more effective.

We talk to ourselves to process negative emotions

The Psychodynamic Theory views self-talk as an expression of inner conflicts or unresolved emotions. In this perspective, self-dialogue serves as a way to process emotions and integrate thoughts, feelings, and desires that may not be easily expressed in external social interactions.

Research has found, that internal dialogue helped deal with social stress related to public speaking and making a positive impression on others. Another research found that individuals who engaged in distanced self-talk (referring to oneself in third-person) while reflecting on negative experiences experienced reduced emotional distress and showed improved cognitive processing of the memories. This suggests that self-talk may help individuals process and integrate unresolved emotions related to past experiences.

The language you’re using matters

Keep in mind that in all of this research, the language you’re using matters. By using negative self-talk, we program ourselves to fail. “If we’re talking to ourselves negatively, research suggests that we’ll more likely guide ourselves to a negative outcome,” Dr. Julia Harper, an occupational therapist and life coach, explained to NBC News’ BETTER. “However, when self-talk is neutral — as in a statement like ‘What do I need to do?’ — or positive, such as ‘I can get this done,’ then the outcome is much more effective.”Further, Dr. Jessica Nicolosi, a clinical psychologist based in New York went on to tell NBC News that what we say to ourselves, along with how and when we say it notably impacts our self-esteem, sense of worth and beliefs about self-efficacy. “When working with my patients, the focus is less on whether they talk to themselves, and more about the content of those conversations,” she told the outlet.

When talking to yourself may be a cause for concern

There’s typically no reason to believe that there’s anything wrong with you if you have little chats with yourself regularly. On the contrary: If anything, external self-directed talk is completely normal. It makes an individual more alert, aware, and able to process their feelings.

However, there are always exceptions to the norm and, as Jeffrey S. Nevid Ph.D., ABPP writes on Psychology Today, “people who suffer from serious mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia, also engage in self-dialogues, and they may be observed carrying on conversations with the voices inside their heads.” According to Nevid, the difference here is that this form of self-speech directs ownership of inner speech towards “other persons or forces outside oneself.” In this case, it is not simply about internal monologue, but rather about auditory or visual hallucinations where people talk to someone else who they think is real.

Further, if you find yourself engaging in self-talk that involves repetitive numbers, phrases, or mantras and it’s becoming disruptive or hard to stop, this could be an emotional issue that’s worth exploring with a qualified mental health professional.