Talking to yourself- in public??????

Ruth n Jersey said:
I always talk to myself in the supermarket. Usually complain about the prices out loud, or if I can't find an ingredient, if the cart doesn't work right or I forget where I put the car.
I've talked to all my pets and these days I yell at the birds that steal other birds food or don't share the birdbath.
I even talk to my plants.
As long as they don't answer back I know I'm ok.
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Love you, Ruth! :ROFLMAO:
 

Actually some studies suggest that people who talk themselves may be be smarter than average. Something about actually hearing oneself helps you remember tasks, i know that and lists work for some of us because when write something down we usually.hear our own voice saying it. (Because I'm a highly.visual person writing a list fixes it in my mind, usually if i forget the list at home i can close my eyes and 'see' it accurately.)


Funny story: When i was a single Mom in my late 30s with two 9 year old boys and a 1 year old girl i had to break myself of the habit of saying.my name when reminding myself to do something or add something to a shopping list. Why? Because my daughter is fifth generation with same first name. One day i walked into bathroom to find my toddler daughter trying to wring out some hand laundry i'd earlier reminded myself i needed to finish.
 
Holding an out loud two way conversation to one's internal self is on a path to lunacy one is reinforcing that others will eventually be laughing at. But there are other ways to talk without doing so to an obvious others.

When performing a complex operation from written text (example product operation guide), especially those one will need to remember and repeat, it helps recall versus only visually reading words if one also verbally engages the vocal oral mouth muscles because that cross references memory across visual, control musculature, and aural neural areas. For example, while walking about in a supermarket, one reflects on the need to buy some sugar that is still many isles away. If one at that moment out loud simply softly blurts out SUGAR, it is more likely one will recall that minutes later versus just having kept that notion a subtle internal memory.

I sometimes blurt things out loud as though I am speaking with some emphasis and emotion to a group of possible others and not to myself inside. For example looking to the West, "Now that is an inspiring sunset!" Note within otherwise equal members of actual groups even a group of strangers, I do tend to be relatively naturally vocal confidently sounding like a leader. Or watching a tv football game at home alone when a touchdown occurs...TOUCHDOWN!

I also sometimes use a tiny micro-recorder to dictate thoughts to or perform descriptive narration when outdoors. This appears much like someone talking to someone else on a smartphone. Am not really listening but rather just speaking at the recorder in the same manner I might to another person. And it does take skill and practice to do so effectively.

I also readily talk to animals both pets or wild animals and at least I like to think, animals at times seem to react recognizing my body language and emotional vocal tones. Maybe because I grew up in a large family with pets. In my local neighborhood I've lived at over decades, crows and squirrels, seem to recognize me as a specific non-threatening human so allow my passage while keeping a wary eye just a couple steps distant.
 
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I might mutter to myself in public occasionally but I try not to make a habit of it. I do sing to my songs while driving my car and I am alone and no one to bug me or tell me to shut up and especially if it is a nice, warm, sunny day and I am feeling especially good and it's a good song.
 
A couple of comments have mentioned muttering, which is forming words with lips but not speaking loud enough to barely hear it thru your ears yourself. Also called sub-vocalizing.

Depending on what kind of community you live in if you are actually muttering it could cause you to appear more 'crazy' than if you spoke aloud. Some people with actual mental health issues subvocalize (mutter) almost constantly. Some people know this and will avoid a mutterer more than someone that speaks clearly aloud to themselves.

My 13 yr old autistic grandson on other hand often talks aloud when processing and pondering newly acquired info. (We are grateful that therapy helped him re-acquire clear speech, but it can be too much sometimes.) Sometimes asking questions but not of anyone but himself. His Mom and Dad have developed habit of ignoring him unless it is unmistakable he needs their assistance (he's hungry, hurt or is asking permission to do something).

On their last visit i talked to him directly about it being important to let people know when he's trying to engage them-- i told him i'm interested in his thoughts, ideas and questions but he needs let me know when he's actually trying to get my input, and when just processing his thoughts aloud.

Then i talked to my son about he and Liam's Mom needing to work on that with him. That because he talks aloud to himself so often unless he prefaces a statement or question with person's name or identifier (Mom, Dad, Grandma, Aunty) we don't realize he's talking to us. It will be less frustrating for everyone. We won't interrupt his train of thought if just thinking aloud, but he will get responses when he wants them.
 
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Years ago, I had a roommate. He used to talk to himself, if he thought he was alone. What was cool was he had fights with himself. Say he wanted to do something, but wasn't sure it was a good thing to do. He'd have this debate between himself. He'd go on and on. It cracked me up.
 


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