Is it normal to talk to yourself?

翻译人员: Sophia Ye 校对人员: Rana Al kilaney

As your morning alarm blares, you mutter to yourself,

当你的早晨闹钟响起时， 你问你自己，

“Why did I set it so early?”

“我为什么设置它这么早? ”

While brushing your teeth, you think,

刷牙的时候，你想，

“I need a haircut... unless?”

“我需要理发……除非？”

Rushing out the front door, you reach for your keys

冲出前门， 你伸手去拿钥匙，

and realize they’re not there.

却发现它不在。

Frustrated you shout, “I can’t do anything right!”

失意你喊， “我什么都做不好! ”

just in time to notice your neighbor.

当时你看到你的邻居。

Being caught talking to yourself can feel embarrassing,

被人看到你在自言自语， 你可 能会感到尴尬，

and some people even stigmatize this behavior as a sign of mental instability.

而且有些人甚至指责这一点 行为作为精神不稳定的标志。

But decades of psychology research show that talking to yourself

但几十年的心理学研究表明自言自语

is completely normal.

是完全正常的。

In fact, most, if not all, of us engage in some form of self-talk

事实上，我们大多数人（甚至每个人）

每天都会自我交谈。

every single day.

So why do we talk to ourselves?

我们为什么跟自己说话呢?

And does what we say matter?

我们说的话重要吗？

Self-talk refers to the narration inside your head,

自我对话是指内心的叙述，

sometimes called inner speech.

有时也称为内部语言。

It differs from mental imagery or recalling facts and figures.

它不同于心理想象或回忆事实和数字。

Specifically, psychologists define self-talk

具体来说，心理学家将自我对话

as verbalized thoughts directed toward yourself or some facet of your life.

定义为针对自己或生活某个 方面的口头化思考。

This includes personal conversations like “I need to work on my free throw.”

这包括个人对话，如： “我需要练习我的罚球”。

But it also includes reflections you have throughout the day,

但它也包括你在一天中的反思，

like “The gym is crowded tonight. I’ll come back tomorrow.”

比如“健身房今晚很拥挤。 我明天再来”。

And while most self-talk in adults tends to be silent,

虽然成年人的大多数自我对话 往往是默默无言的，

speaking to yourself out loud also falls into this category.

但是对自己大声说话也属于这一类。

In fact, psychologists believe our first experiences with self-talk

事实上， 心理学家认为我们与自我对话的第一次

are mostly vocal,

经历大多是口头的，

as children often speak to themselves out loud as they play.

因为孩子们在玩耍时经常大声自言自语。

In the 1930s, Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky hypothesized

在上世纪 30 年代， 俄罗斯心理学家列夫·维果茨基

that this kind of speech was actually key to development.

假设这种言语实际上是发展的关键。

By repeating conversations they’ve had with adults,

通过重复他们与成人进行的对话，

children practice managing their behaviors and emotions on their own.

孩子们练习管理自己的行为和情绪。

Then, as they grow older, this outward self-talk tends to become internalized,

随着他们的年龄增长， 这种外向的自我对话往往会内化，

morphing into a private inner dialogue.

变成私人的内心对话。

We know this internal self-talk is important,

我们知道这种内部自我对话很重要，

and can help you plan, work through difficult situations,

可以帮助你规划， 处理困难情况，

and even motivate you throughout the day.

甚至在一天中激励你。

But studying self-talk can be difficult.

然而，研究自我对话可能会很困难。

It relies on study subjects clearly tracking a behavior that’s spontaneous

它依赖于研究对象清晰 地跟踪一种自发的行为，

and often done without conscious control.

这种行为通常是无意识的。

For this reason, scientists are still working to answer basic questions,

因此，科学家仍在努力回答基本问题，

like, why do some people self-talk more than others?

例如，为什么有些人比其他人 更多地进行自我对话？

What areas of the brain are activated during self-talk?

在自我对话期间，哪些大脑区域被激活？

And how does this activation differ from normal conversation?

这种激活与正常对话有何不同？

One thing we know for certain, however,

但是，我们确定的一件事是，

is that what you say in these conversations can have real impacts

在这些对话中所说的话语可以真正影响

on your attitude and performance.

您的态度和表现。

Engaging in self-talk that’s instructional or motivational

从事具有指导性或激励性的自我对话

has been shown to increase focus, boost self-esteem,

已被证明可以增加专注力，提高自尊心，

and help tackle everyday tasks.

并帮助解决日常任务。

For example, one study of collegiate tennis players

例如，对大学网球选手的一项研究发现，

found that incorporating instructional self-talk into practice

将指导性的自我对话纳入练习中

increased their concentration and accuracy.

可以增加他们的专注力和准确性。

And just as chatting to a friend can help decrease stress,

就像与朋友聊天可以帮助减少压力一样，

speaking directly to yourself may also help you regulate your emotions.

直接与自己交谈也可以帮助你调节情绪。

Distanced self-talk is when you talk to yourself,

间接的自我对话是指你像

as if in conversation with another person.

与另一个人交谈一样与自己交谈。

So, rather than “I’m going to crush this exam,”

所以，与其说 “我会在这次考试中表现得很好”，

you might think, “Caleb, you are prepared for this test!”

你可能会想 “迦勒，你为这次考试做好准备了！”

One study found that this kind of self-talk was especially beneficial

一项研究发现，这种自我对话在从事诸如

for reducing stress when engaging in anxiety-inducing tasks,

结识新人或公开演讲等易引发焦虑

such as meeting new people or public speaking.

的任务时尤其有益于减轻压力。

But where positive self-talk can help you, negative self-talk can harm you.

然而，虽然积极的自我对话可以帮助你， 但消极的自我对话却会伤害你。

Most people are critical of themselves occasionally,

大多数人偶尔会对自己进行自我批评，

but when this behavior gets too frequent or excessively negative,

但当这种行为过于频繁或过度消极时，

it can become toxic.

就会变得有害。

High levels of negative self-talk are often predictive

经常和强烈的负面自我对话

of anxiety in children and adults.

通常与儿童和成年人的焦虑有关。

And those who constantly blame themselves for their problems

而那些经常责怪自己的问题

and ruminate on those situations

和反复思考这些情况的人

typically experience more intense feelings of depression.

通常会体验到更强烈的抑郁感。

Today, there’s a field of psychological treatment

如今，有一种心理治疗领域

called cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT,

叫做认知行为疗法，或CBT，

which is partially focused on regulating the tone of self-talk.

它部分地专注于调节自我谈话的语气。

Cognitive behavioral therapists often teach strategies

认知行为治疗师通常会教授一些策略，

to identify cycles of negative thoughts

帮助人们识别负面思维的循环，

and replace them with neutral or more compassionate reflections.

并将其替换为中立或更有同情心的想法。

Over time, these tools can improve one's mental health.

随着时间的推移， 这些工具可以改善一个人的心理健康。

So the next time you find yourself chatting with yourself,

所以下次当你发现自己在和自己聊天时，

remember to be kind.

记得要善待自己。

That inner voice is a partner you’ll be talking to for many years to come.

那个内心的声音是你未来多年的伙伴。