Is it normal to talk to yourself?

譯者: 嬿儒 楊 審譯者: Helen Chang

As your morning alarm blares, you mutter to yourself,

當鬧鐘響起，你嘀咕著

“Why did I set it so early?”

「我幹嘛把鬧鐘設得這麼早?」

While brushing your teeth, you think,

你在刷牙的時候想著

“I need a haircut... unless?”

「我該剪頭髮了......除非？」

Rushing out the front door, you reach for your keys

你匆匆趕出門，伸手去拿鑰匙，

and realize they’re not there.

發現它不在包包裡。

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

你灰心地大吼， 「我什麼都做不好！」

just in time to notice your neighbor.

在這時注意到你鄰居在旁邊。

Being caught talking to yourself can feel embarrassing,

被發現在自言自語感覺很尷尬，

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

有些人甚至把這種行為汙名化， 將其視為精神不穩定的表現。

But decades of psychology research show that talking to yourself

但數十年的心理學研究表明，

is completely normal.

自言自語是很正常的。

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

事實上，即使不是人人如此， 大多數人天天有某種形式的自我對話，

every single day.

每一天。

So why do we talk to ourselves?

為什麼我們會自言自語呢？

And does what we say matter?

我們說了什麼很重要嗎？

Self-talk refers to the narration inside your head,

自我對話是在你腦海裡的旁白，

sometimes called inner speech.

有時被稱為內在語言。

It differs from mental imagery or recalling facts and figures.

它不同於心理圖像 或記憶中準確的資料。

Specifically, psychologists define self-talk

具體來說，心理學家將自我對話定義為

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

把想法或生活中的某個面向 化為言辭表達

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

這包含像是「我需要增進 罰球技巧」等個人對話

But it also includes reflections you have throughout the day,

但也包含了你一整天經歷的反映。

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

像是「健身房今晚太多人了， 我明天再來。」

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

雖然大部分成人的自我對話是無聲的，

speaking to yourself out loud also falls into this category.

但有聲的自我對話也屬於此類型。

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

事實上，心理學家相信 我們首次的自我對話

are mostly vocal,

多數是有聲的。

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

像小孩在玩耍時， 常常會大聲地跟自己講話。

In the 1930s, Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky hypothesized

1930 年，俄國心理學家 李夫·維高斯基提出假設，

that this kind of speech was actually key to development.

認為這類型的言語是成長的關鍵。

By repeating conversations they’ve had with adults,

藉由重複他們與大人的對話，

children practice managing their behaviors and emotions on their own.

孩子們練習自己管理行為和情緒。

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

在他們長大後，這個表露在外的 自我對話會趨於內化，

morphing into a private inner dialogue.

然後演變成私人的內心對話。

We know this internal self-talk is important,

我們知道這種內在的自我對話很重要，

and can help you plan, work through difficult situations,

可以幫助你擬定計畫、度過困境，

and even motivate you throughout the day.

甚至可以激勵你一整天。

But studying self-talk can be difficult.

但是研究自我對話是很困難的。

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

它仰賴於研究對象 清楚地追蹤自發性的行為，

and often done without conscious control.

並且經常在無意識控制的情況下完成。

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

因為這個原因，科學家 仍在努力回答基本問題，

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

像是為何有些人 比其他人更常有自我對話?

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

大腦哪一區塊在自我對話時 處於活化的狀態?

And how does this activation differ from normal conversation?

這種活化與正常對話時 有何不同？

One thing we know for certain, however,

然而，我們可以肯定的是

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

你在這些對話中所說的話

on your attitude and performance.

會對你的態度和表現產生影響。

Engaging in self-talk that’s instructional or motivational

進行引導性或鼓舞人心的自我對話

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

已被證明可增加注意力及提升自信，

and help tackle everyday tasks.

並且協助處理每天的工作。

For example, one study of collegiate tennis players

舉例來說，有一個針對 大學網球運動員的研究發現

found that incorporating instructional self-talk into practice

在練習中結合了引導性的自我對話

increased their concentration and accuracy.

增加了運動員的專注力及準確度。

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

就像跟朋友聊天可以減輕壓力一樣，

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

跟自己講話也可以幫助你調節情緒。

Distanced self-talk is when you talk to yourself,

有距離的自我對話 是當你跟自己講話時，

as if in conversation with another person.

就像在跟另一個人對話一樣。

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

所以與其說「我會考得很好。」

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

你會想著，「迦勒， 你準備好面對這次的考試了！」

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

一項研究發現 這種自我對話可以有效地

for reducing stress when engaging in anxiety-inducing tasks,

減輕在從事焦慮的任務時的壓力，

such as meeting new people or public speaking.

比如結識新朋友或公開演講。

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

既然積極的自我對話可以幫助你， 消極的自我對話就會傷害你。

Most people are critical of themselves occasionally,

多數人有時候對於自己很挑剔，

but when this behavior gets too frequent or excessively negative,

但當這個行為太常發生或過度負面，

it can become toxic.

就會給自己造成陰影。

High levels of negative self-talk are often predictive

高程度的負面自我對話通常是

of anxiety in children and adults.

小孩跟成人焦慮的前兆。

And those who constantly blame themselves for their problems

那些經常為自己的問題自責

and ruminate on those situations

並長時間思考這些情況的人

typically experience more intense feelings of depression.

通常會經歷更強烈的抑鬱情緒。

Today, there’s a field of psychological treatment

現今，有個心理治療的領域

called cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT,

叫做認知行為療法，或稱為CBT，

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

它側重於調節自我對話的語氣。

Cognitive behavioral therapists often teach strategies

認知行為治療師通常會教你一些策略

to identify cycles of negative thoughts

來確定消極思想的循環，

and replace them with neutral or more compassionate reflections.

並用中立思想 或更有同情心的思考取代。

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

隨著時間的推移，這些工具 可以改善一個人的心理健康。

So the next time you find yourself chatting with yourself,

所以下次發現自己在跟自己聊天時，

remember to be kind.

記得對自己友善點。

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

內心的聲音將會是未來 與你交談多年的伙伴。