Why do people talk to themselves?

Question

I'm one of those people who would always talk to themselves whenever they are alone :) But I still have the question, "Why do people talk to themselves?"

Could the reason be that people like us who engage in this self-interaction feel no one around wants to hear what we have in mind, and as a result, we prefer talking to ourselves all the time instead?

What other factors could be responsible for this?

Answer 1

Such people get preoccupied with their own thoughts whenever they find themselves alone and they end up talking to themselves without meaning to do so. Since the only thing they can focus their attentions on is their thoughts, their entire body and all their senses act in resonance with the thoughts going on in their minds.

A related example is that humming or singing a song you can't remove your mind from subconsciously, and possibly doing the samba and some twisting as you move along; at such times, your actions are choreographs of the song you are reciting in your head.

Answer 2

Why do people talk to themselves? We know that madmen talk to themselves, but this does not mean everyone that talks to himself is a madman!

Some people in their ignorance may take everyone that talks to himself as a madman! Yes, this may be true in some cases, but not in all situations... For instance, I often talk to myself, which does not mean I have a case of dementia or anything like that, just that I lived alone and was always alone so I needed someone to talk to. Since there was no one to talk to except me, I chose to talk to myself. I don't have many friends so no one calls me, except my neighbor that stops by to say hi once in a while. I often catch myself talking to myself quite audibly, though not loud enough for others to hear me. Or sometimes I say my thoughts out loud about issues that are of concern to me. I often think about my feelings and beliefs about life in general. I would hardly ever hear my own voice if I didn't talk to myself once in a while since there was nobody to talk to. I'm quite sure of my mental state - I have never been mad, so don't even think about it. I also talk to my dog about several issues out loud... I know some people out there may not be able to understand what it means to be so lonely in such a big world with so many people. But sadly enough, it is my life experience.

Do you still wonder why I keep to myself? It is not as if I love doing it or enjoying it. The reason is not unconnected to all the bad experiences I have had with people who have either used me or taken advantage of me. So I keep to myself mostly because I'm trying to heal and I don't think I can trust anybody so easily anymore. Don't just judge people you see talking to themselves because you can't say what they have been through and where they are coming from. I'm very sure that so many people talk to themselves, though most of them will likely deny it. If you watched the movie, cast away with Tom Hanks, you will understand what I'm talking about. He was just a lonely man in search of ways to fill the void in his life. Every human being craves companionship.

Answer 3

Every one of us talks to himself or herself once in a while. The reason why most people talk to themselves is because they are lonely. Some others talk to themselves because they have low self esteem or some kind or disorder.