Psychologists Gary Lupyan and Daniel Swingley found that speaking out loud while searching for a lost object noticeably speeds up the brain's ability to locate it. The study, published in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology and reported by Brazilian radio station Tupi FM, shows that verbalizing an item's name activates visual memory functions.
Researchers designed multiple experiments to test how self-talk impacts visual search performance. In the initial test, participants viewed a screen displaying 20 different images and were asked to find a specific object. One group read the target object's name silently, while the second group repeated the name aloud while scanning the images. The group speaking aloud resolved the search task systematically faster.
Effects of verbalizing names on visual memory
Gary Lupyan, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, explained that although anyone can recognize an item like a banana on sight, pronouncing the word aloud activates additional information in the brain regarding its shape, color, and size. Lupyan noted that while the lost item would eventually be found, stating its name reduces the number of irrelevant items the mind must rule out during the search.
To determine if this effect occurs outside a laboratory, the research team replicated the experiment using photographs of supermarket shelves. Participants were asked to locate specific products as quickly as possible. The group that spoke the product names aloud performed faster once again, particularly when identifying familiar items. The researchers attributed this advantage to a double sensory channel, where the auditory system reinforces visual memory representations stored in working memory, allowing two brain pathways to work together.
Third-person self-talk and emotion management
A separate team of researchers from Michigan State University and the University of Michigan investigated how self-talk affects emotional regulation. Their findings indicated that conducting internal dialogue in the third person, such as asking why Juan is nervous instead of why I am nervous, creates emotional distance. This psychological distance helps people process feelings more rationally and reduces stress reactivity.
Distinguishing beneficial self-talk from health concerns
Psychologists note a clear distinction between helpful self-talk and speech that may indicate a mental health concern. Cognitive self-talk is voluntary, serves a specific purpose, and stops once the task is complete. Conversely, speech that is involuntary, persistent, focused on repetitive negative thoughts, or accompanied by social isolation or confusion may warrant consultation with a mental health professional.
The findings indicate that talking to oneself does not reflect how smart or absent-minded a person is. Instead, it serves as a practical strategy employed by the brain to process information more efficiently.
