Why do some sane and very intelligent people sometimes talk out loud to themselves?

[Pingju]

I have encountered a few people in my real life who sometimes talk out loud to themselves. They are all sane and mostly very intelligent. But when I ask them why they do that, they mostly chuckle and won't tell me except for my friend's 11-year-old daughter.
She told me that talking out loud to herself helps her to process her thoughts properly and solve problems more efficiently. This sounds reasonable to me. Haha.
What do you think? Or do you talk out loud to yourself too? :D XD Thanks :)

[feral_shade]

I think your friend's daughter is right. I do the same thing frequently--perhaps moreso than conversing with people.

It's not so much a dialog with oneself or a social discrepancy (or any other thing that would categorize it as a psychological condition... well, at least for the behavior you're referring to)

but rather a means of organizing thought. Sometimes if your overwhelmed with a train of thought and you're compelled to follow it to its eventual conclusion, it's important to maintain the integrity of your frame of logic and all the supporting facts--which can be hard if it's complex and there are some external distractions. Unfortunately etiquette and other social conventions limit your ability to bombard a passing nearby stranger with parts of your ideas... as it seems a little crazy and isn't very effective, lol--but perhaps less unsettling than if the entire monologue was vocalized... and media for recording may be unavailable or too inflexible.

It makes me wonder if any of history's great philosophers and statesmen were merely just people that wandered around talking to themselves, occasionally drawing an avid crowd, hehe :)

[Pingju]

Hehe. Plus 10. Thanks for sharing :)

[feral_shade]

also, they say there's a fine line between genius and insanity. some smart folks have failings in other areas (like if you've seen Rainman... or even The Big Bang Theory)... i know i have a bunch, lol

so maybe some of those self-talkers are on the edge?

[letsgetlost]

Sometimes the human brain works too quickly. If they are intelligent, then they probably have a plethora of ideas and thoughts all at once. It's a way to rationalize them and put them in order.

[Saga-Agustus]

yes she is right ,
im not trying to boast hear , when you reach a certain level of mental speed , you get annoyed when your processing speed is low , so telling things out loud makes it easier , AND when ever we say things out lour there is is another parallel thought running side by side , which means what i'm processing OUT LOUD. is completely different from what i'm processing IN QUIETLY (at the same time) .

AND THE OTHER MOST IMPORTANT THING IS
half the time we aynt aware that we are thinking out loud ( in my case the person sitting next to me it the class mentions it )

AND THE reason we don't explain ourselves is.
i don't know about others . WELL EVERY ONE HAS THEIR OWN REASON
this is why i don't explain.

as you see , you saw the huge explanation that i gave before , well talking that much drains me mentally " that is , after thinking OUT LOUD " . and I've gota replenish my sugar level to think straight ,
" in short explanation is tiering & normaly people won't understand what i say "
and its annoying to leave the spot without confirming if the really understand or not ,

[Pingju]

Thanks for aharing :)

[Pingju]

sharing*

[Saga-Agustus]

ya that is. because im not as smart as really smart people ( its just an average I. Q of 119 when i was 9 & 129 when i was 11 and i didn't check again) . so i tend to push myself beyond my limits and that drains my sugar level , and tiers me too.) .
oh and researches have proven you can do that ( pushing your intelligence beyond your limits)
" LIMITLESS is't it - well , with a few limitations "

[cheeseburgermafia]

When you hear your own voice while working out a problem, your mind calms and you can focus easier.

Some people are just keeping several trains of thought on their own individual rails.

Smarter people tend to see issues from multiple sides, and argue for and against each side to determine what is best with greater accuracy. This can be much easier to do if you talk out your thought processes.

[lukino]

It helps them to think sequentially and organize their multiple thoughts they have. I've done this before when I'm in an academic state and pace around, talking to myself like an explanation of ideas. I don't do this unless I'm so deep in my books that would be even weirder haha

[kambo_trick3y]

I can 100 percent guarantee you Pingju that I do not do this. In fact, I don't even talk or think to myself in my brain whatsoever.

[Pingju]

You are definitely sane and intelligent but you don't need to talk out loud to yourself, Trick3y. You have so many good friends on GAG to talk to. Haha :)

[Argus14]

I've done it. It's almost like working through a problem with someone else except that someone else just happens to be you.

[Pingju]

Haha, nice :)

[Saga-Agustus]

yep but i named him REU

[Pingju]

@Saga-Agustus :What is REU? Thanks.

[Saga-Agustus]

reu is the name of my imaginary friend who i solve problems with
(by the way reu means dragon in japanese )

[kairon156]

I'm not sure if this is true or not but if someone talks to their self (not because they hear voices in their head) is a sign of intelligence.

on a TV show one time when asked "why do you talk to your self" a character said he need's to have an intelligent conversation.

[jmr2191]

Sometimes, it helps one process ideas as a complementary process by allowing oneself to hear it outside of his or her own thoughts in the same way that one may use multiple senses to process what's happening around them.

[Roarke]

I do it because most people i encounter are stupid and i get lonely.

[Pingju]

I notice that intelligent loners do this more often. They need not be lonely but they are mostly loners :)

[Roarke]

Sometimes i do it to say things i would say if anyone were there to hear it. It's one thing to be doing something. It's another to tell people later. And sometimes there is just the happy medium.
And i have been a loner in my time but found out it's much better to maintain human contact. That's partly why i come on here, although it's debatable how many of these people are human.

[Pingju]

@it's debatable how many of these people are human.
I have been feeling the same since day one when I joined GAG. So sometimes when I get agitated by GAGers here, I would remember this quote:

"It's easy to look at people and make quick judgements about them, their present and their past, but you'd be amazed at the pain and tears a single smile hides. What a person shows to the world is only one tiny facet of the iceberg hidden from sight. And more often than not, it's lined with cracks and scars that go all the way to the foundation of their soul."

Just sharing :)

[Roarke]

No i agree. I'm just old and therefore inherently cranky.

At any rate, it's good to hear from a fellow GAG misanthrop.

[Pingju]

What did you mean by "No, I agree" ? :)
According to my dictionary, a misanthrope is a person who dislikes or distrusts other people or mankind in general. I love people but I enjoy solitude a lot too. And people in my real life are much more human than a lot of GAGers :(

[Pingju]

much more humane * than a lot of GAGers.

[Roarke]

"I agree that it's a good idea to consider what may lie behind apparent stupidity, but to the limit that i am not going to tell some girl/guy how to move from crush to fb without being friendzoned.

And poor spelling aside, the misanthrope comment was just my weak metaphor for "misery loves company", and to thank you for the momentary company.

[Pingju]

Haha, I see. Thanks :)

[Aizou]

Ok so I don't talk out loud to myself no
it's all in my head.. but your friends daughter
is right, saying things out loud let's you hear
the words/sentences being said, making it easier
to both understand and remember them. ^.^

[Weirdguy24]

I do it everyday. I really don't notice that I'm talking to myself sometimes. I really don't know why I'm doing it, but I know that I'm keep I myself company that way.

[Pingju]

@but I know that I'm keeping myself company that way.
Nice :)

[Zendrya]

I thought everyone talked to themselves... Why would you think it is weird? It is perfectly healthy I think

[DivaPrincess]

The 11 year old is right. I am not crazy but it helps saying stuff out loud. I don't even hide it anymore. Don't care...

[HandsomeRaj]

I don't even talk to myself leave alone loudly. Guess I'm not sane or very intelligent lol :-D

[coop5]

I do it, it helps me remember things and is easier for my problem solving skills.

[KweenKush415]

It's OK to talk to yourself- it's a sign of high intelligence. However, if you find yourself ANSWERING yourself, you may have a problem lol

[kangy]

yes sometimes i do
but i am not intelligent hahah

[douride2]

You know I'm not sure why we do it?

[rUinSAYAN]

I don't know what you mean. I never talk loudly