Do you talk to yourself? Most people do it every once in awhile. Ami does it a lot. Self-talking definitely won’t make you popular on public transportation, but a new study indicates that it will speed up your thought process. Here’s the lowdown: psychologists asked two groups of volunteers to scan a series of photos in search of a specific object. One group was told to repeatedly say the name of the object they were looking for (“banana, banana, banana”), while the other group were told to remain silent. The results? Those zany self-talkers found the items faster, because researchers say when you talk to yourself, “you’re activating visual properties in the brain to help you find them.” So the next time your partner or roommate gets annoyed with your constant muttering, politely remind them that you’re not just talking to yourself, you’re activating visual properties in your brain. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to find my cellphone. “Cellphone, cellphone, cellphone, cellphone…” [Mother Nature Network]
