Science Says Talking to Yourself Can Make You Better. Here’s Exactly What You Should Say

The research is clear: Talking to yourself is an effective way to influence our emotions and change behavior. Here’s how to do it.

EXPERT OPINION BY JUSTIN BARISO, AUTHOR, EQ APPLIED @JUSTINJBARISO

Do you ever talk to yourself?

Our youngest daughter does it all the time. The first time we really noticed it was one day on the playground, when she was walking across a series of ropes on the jungle gym.

“I can do this, I’m a big girl!” she exclaimed, as she carefully maintained her balance. “Hold on, hold on,” she continued. “You did it, good job. Keep going!”

She wasn’t done. As she continued treading the rope, the self-talk continued…

Refreshed leadership advice from CEO Stephanie Mehta

An Inc.com Featured Presentation

Keep going, keep going, she repeated

“Keep going, keep going,” she repeated. “Almost to the top. You can do it. Hold on…Almost there!”

My wife recorded the whole thing, and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched that video. Not only because I love seeing my daughter motivate myself to accomplish a challenging task, but because it’s proof positive of how anyone can use self-talk to reach their goals.

The science agrees with this. For example, after reviewing over 500 self-talk articles published between 1978 and 2020, researchers concluded that self-talk is an effective way to influence our emotions and change behavior. They went on to share how self-talk interventions are used to address addictions, manage anxiety and depression, promote a healthy lifestyle, and even improve performance in sports or academics.

Source: www.inc.com