Do you talk to yourself? I do..........

[LeonLethality]

I talk to myself a lot can't really help it >.>

 

[Claymorez]

Do you ever talk to yourself? Cause I do!...well I don't have full blown conversations with myself like I don't talk to voices that aren't there or hear voices that aren't there but I do talk to myself occasionally. For example I might practise by myself explaining something to a friend alone. Or I might commentate on my game play or shout along with the guy on screen to make my heroic charge seem more fun when I get slaughtered charging down the hill in LOTR BFME 2 or cut to pieces as I make my last heroic stand in DoW DC. I sometimes comment on something I do e.g. walk up the stairs realise I didn't mean to and then say as I remember where I was going "no I am going to (X)" to myself. Do you do the same/similar thing? and if so do you recon we are mad or normal?

talking to ourselves (refering to ourselves in second or third person, "Michael, you really have to eat better..." kind of thing) is a natural part of being human.

Part of the reason for this from a psychological perspective is the different spheres of the brain. For example, you have four parts of the brain that control various rationalizing skills. One is cognitive thought (this is a relatively weak part of the brain only able to focus on one task at a time - for example, my cognitive thought process is focused solely on writing this response, where as my uncognitive thought is taking in and processing my surroundings), your uncognitive thought (think of this as the "processes" on your computer. You have applications and processes. Normally, we only run a few applications at a time, but there can be dozens of processes running in the back ground. These things control a variety of "automatic" ideas and processes. We aren't talking about breathing. An example could be like the following: have you ever felt the urge to jump while standing on the edge of a cliff? No, you're not crazy. This is your "processor" relaying to your cognitive brain that jumping would be bad. As it presents it's arguments to the cognitive brain, the cognitive brain interprets the signals as an order to jump, when really it's a warning not to.) then you have the right and left hemispheres of the brain (one controls rationale, logic, mathematical skills, etc., the other controls creativity, speech, and expression.).

These various parts of the brain are actually seperate entities that communicate with eachother. This is why we often mentally hear ourselves say, "You should..." in our heads.

interestingly, a particular disorder called Alien Hand Syndrome is associated with Split Brain Syndrome (where the brain's lines of communication are split from another part of the brain). When this happens, one side of the brain (often the right, non-verbal side) cannot communicate with the verbal. This not only creates a lapse in certain thought processes, but it separates the control of the right and left body (you feel like you can't control your left hand, because a major part of your cognitive ability is found in your left brain. This can cause you to literally lose control of your left hand, although it should be noted that in reality, it's still under your control, it's just under the control of the right brain.) In its frustration, the right brain may throw what amounts to a tantrum and could even be so fed up that it attempts to kill the body. Oddly, although most incidences of split brain sydrome are recoverable (in fact, the syndrome was discovered by an experimental surgery where the subject healed after about a month), the most common "cure" to the frustrated right brain is to verbally speak what you're thinking (and thus what the left brain is thinking) to the right brain. You can even teach your right brain to respond in various ways (think, tap once for yes, tap twice for no).

In short, we really do speak to ourselves cause there really is more than "one of us" up there!

EDIT: Oh, and from a non-scientific view, I do it all the time too. Especially when I'm playing an epic video game. If I'm in a situation where I know I'll die, I scream, "FOR LOUISE!!!!"... but that's an inside joke for another time.

Alien hand syndrome is best documented in cases where a person has had the two hemispheres of their brain surgically separated, a procedure sometimes used to relieve the symptoms of extreme cases of epilepsy. It also occurs in some cases after other brain surgery, strokes, or infections. (I love watching house m.d. teached me so much but back to the matter at hand) - although I agree with your statements then define for me why people say one of the signs of madness is talking to yourself, would you then say its only a sign of madness if you reply aloud - (not necessarily mentally as everyone plans things out in their head and comments on it - or do they ?)- e.g. you have a 2 way talk with yourself - like -(Morning, good morning to you also, I am gonna have some weetabix, but you'll be late for work for work as you got up late you dont have time for breakfast, o ya. ) or would you say its only those who think that's their getting saner (believe their justified in talking to themselves or hearing voices or that there really are voices) who are ppl at risk of madness whilst those who fear the concept of talking to themselves and fear the concept of going mad/worry about it are the sane individuals - sorry m8 you just gave such an awesome answer/response I thought id elevate the talk a bit.

 

[Inverse Skies]

Yup, I live by myself so you get used to talking to yourself a fair bit. I used to do it before I lived by myself, but it's just something you get used to. My problem is I usually imagine future scenarios in my head, and if they involve talking then I'll sometimes say what I'm thinking in my head without realising it. I've always done that though, so I guess it's something I can't change.

 

[FalloutJack]

Of course I talk to myself. I'm the nearest person who understands me with the least confusion.

I also have words with my characters, though, which I'm going to have to label as separate entities. Not in the sense of a personality disorder, mind you. I'm a writer, and as such my characters must have a life of their own in order to grow, so there's a point in time where one of them will chime in something.

One of the reasons I talk to myself is also engrained in my writerhood. That is, I feel that an idea or notion obtains a sort of independent existence once spoken or written, no longer an idle flotsam whirling about in my brain. Once it has attributes of existence (Meaning that it has dimensions of a sort outside the aether of the mind.), it cannot be shoved away again. It's there, and will remain there, regardless of what anyone says.

 

[Flos]

I do, but I actually have an excuse. I'm a radio show host, and I do productions for the station.

So, it essentially goes like, "[Our station] is sponsored by Tj-ee... ....Goddammit. T-Jays. TEE-JAY-UHZ... ...Ugh, from the top, now! [Our station] is sponsblore - CTHULHU DANGIT."

I'll also read the productions out loud when I'm not in the booth, or I'll start talking to myself in my 'radio voice' to get warmed up for something.

 

[Junkle]

Yep, all the time. I used to do it subconciously, and started getting weird looks before I realized what I was doing. The worst was math tests, when I would explain whatever I was doing to myself. Happily, I've never really gone over more than a quiet mumble, cause mumbling is my normal method of communication anyways.

 

[Cheeky Marmoset]

Thats exactly what

Yeah.

I have an strange tendancy to feel the need to explain everything thoroughly to the people-that-I'm-not-really-talking-to.

So if I feel like there's a piece of information that would be vital to their (my) understanding of what I'm saying, I'll relay it to them (me).

That's exactly what I do, but It's not me I'm talking to. It's the people inside my brain.

 

[Ammadessi]

Only when I'm playing video games.

 

[Venatio]

Whenever I feel vestiges of the past eating at my soul.. and when I'm frustrated... and when I think I'm alone.

Point is, yes I speak to myself. And I can vouch with 99% certainty that I am sane.

Shouldnt have added a poll for this

 

[MrSnugglesworth]

Sometimes I can't control myself, but usually I can just think it.

 

[Claymorez]

Whenever I feel vestiges of the past eating at my soul.. and when I'm frustrated... and when I think I'm alone.

Point is, yes I speak to myself. And I can vouch with 99% certainty that I am sane.

Shouldnt have added a poll for this

ya well just checking to see I am sane and not about to go off the deep end lmao

 

[Coolness]

When I'm playing games, I only talk to myself when there's someone else there.

No, I don't make any sense. I guess it's to explain my reasoning and feelings?

 

[Chaos Bringer]

I have fights with myself. When I was going to ask out a girl about half a year ago (I was wrting notes with her) I had a huge fight in the library with myself not knowing what I should do.

 

[XIII's Number XIV]

Yeah. Usually I criticize myself when I'm playing Brawl, or talk to the characters on Zero Gravity, or even make references out loud. It's actually gotten to a point where my parents have to tell me to shut up.

I mean, seriously, the last time I've ever played a 2-player game with someone at my house was on my birthday. Two years ago.

[small]...is that normal? ._.[/small]

 

[ddon]

i do that to. but i always do it alone.

 

[righthead]

I think I'll start a thread and reply to it incessantly (he says to no one in particular)

 

[Sporky111]

Usually only when I'm alone and something something makes me swear out loud. I don't really talk to myself, I think out-loud. When I'm writing something or watching a movie I'll kind of whisper along with what I'm thinking.

Mostly, I just do my own background music. Not like singing, not beat-boxing, just vocal sounds that seem to suit me. I don't even notice it most of the time until somebody I'm with mentions it.