How Self Talk Impacts My Brain’s Functionality

According to science, self-talk can have a positive impact on brain function. The findings from one study suggest that talking to yourself primes the brain to perform better. The reasoning behind this is that it’s the same process as when a person is better able to find something because they heard the name of the item.

In the study in question, it was found that self-directed talk has a significant effect on what someone visually processes. It was done by giving 26 undergraduates the task of performing searches in a complex supermarket display. The simple factor of hearing the name of the item, as opposed to merely thinking about it, helped them to find it much quicker.

Essentially, it was discovered that a person can cue their visual system for better detection of items. To add more precision to the experiment, it was found that the more the name of the item was mentioned, the more the performance increased. On the other hand, the less the name of the item was said, the worse the performance got.

Positive Impact of Self Talk

Things are more likely to go according to plan the more precisely mapped they are in your head. In simpler terms, clearer plans equate to higher chances of success. Visualizing an accomplished goal can have a profound effect on the likelihood of you realizing the goal in real life.

Self-talk also taps into what is known as neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). It’s a method by which you can change the way in which you think so as to create more positive outcomes in your life. By talking to yourself and internally reaffirming positive statements, you can increase your self-esteem and the way you see yourself, leading to self- improvements.

Some studies have also noted that self-talk can have an impact on a person’s happiness as well as their overall mood. It was found that through talking to yourself, you can actively prime the way you feel through changing brain functionality.

One of the most recommended ways of doing this is having an anchor text. Psychologists and therapists define this as something you say to yourself to bring about a certain emotion. For example, if you imagine yourself being happy after every time you say “banana,” over time you’ll be able to self-induce happiness by saying “banana” to yourself.

Negative Impact of Self-Talk

While self-talk can generally be an effective way of altering brain functionality positively, it can also have some undesirable effects. People who reaffirm negative notions to themselves are prone to feelings of low self-esteem and low self-worth.

Negative self-talk is also a habit that can harden over the years, making it hard to break out of. Through positive self-talk, however, it can be overcome. Scientific findings have proven that self-talk can be a means of increasing cognitive function, which, in essence, heightens brain performance.

More importantly, it can change brain functionality in the way necessary to create positive thinking patterns that can lead to self-improvements.

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