Talking to Yourself Might Be a Good Thing

Great its scientifically proven I’m not crazy. 

A new study shows that talking to yourself might be a sign of intelligence. Researchers at the University of Michigan and Michigan State University monitored the brain activity of 29 people while watching a range of images but asked them to tell how they felt by talking about themselves in first and third person. Then a second study was performed monitoring the brain activity of 50 people that internally reflected painful experiences.

Results showed that participants that spoke in third person (he, she, it, or they) were able to better regulate their emotions and stress levels than those that used the word “I.”

With third person self-talk, “it’s like you’re viewing [a situation] from an outsider perspective” and gaining “a tiny bit of psychological distance,” researcher Jason Moser explains, in a release.

I guess Bob Dole and Elmo were on to something.