As your morning alarm blares, you mutter to yourself,

早晨鬧鐘響起，你對自己喃喃道，

"Why did I set it so early?"

「我幹嘛設那麼早的鬧鐘？」

While brushing your teeth, you think,

刷牙的時候，你想，

"I need a haircut... unless?"

「該剪頭髮了…除非？」

Rushing out the front door,

你匆忙衝出門，

you reach for your keys and realize they're not there.

伸手去撈鑰匙，卻發現你根本沒帶。

Frustrated you shout, "I can't do anything right!"

你沮喪的吼道：「我什麼都做不好！」

just in time to notice your neighbor.

然後發現鄰居就在你旁邊。

Being caught talking to yourself can feel embarrassing,

被人發現在自言自語很尷尬，

and some people even stigmatize this behavior as a sign of mental instability.

有些人甚至認為這是精神不穩定的表現。

But decades of psychology research show that talking to yourself is completely normal.

但幾十年的心理學研究表明，自言自語是完全正常的行為。

In fact, most, if not all, of us engage in some form of self-talk every single day.

事實上，即使不是全部，大多數人每天都會自言自語。

So why do we talk to ourselves?

所以，我們為何會自言自語呢？

And does what we say matter?

自言自語的內容重要嗎？

Self-talk refers to the narration inside your head, sometimes called inner speech.

自言自語指的是你腦中的聲音，有時也稱為内心獨白。

It differs from mental imagery or recalling facts and figures.

內心獨白不同於心像或回憶事實和數字。

Specifically, psychologists define self-talk as verbalized thoughts directed toward yourself or some facet of your life.

具體來說，心理學家將自言自語定義為你對自己或生活中某些事的語言化想法。

This includes personal conversations, like "I need to work on my free throw."

這包括跟自己對話，如，「我得多練練罰球。」

But it also includes reflections you have throughout the day,

這也包括你一整天的思考，

like "The gym is crowded tonight. I'll come back tomorrow."

比如「今晚健身房人很多，我明天再來。」

And while most self-talk in adults tends to be silent,

雖然大多數成年人都是在心裡自言自語，

speaking to yourself out loud also falls into this category.

大聲對自己說話也屬於自言自語的一種。

In fact, psychologists believe our first experiences with self-talk are mostly vocal,

事實上，心理學家認為我們最初的自言自語大多是有聲的，

as children often speak to themselves out loud as they play.

因為孩子們在玩耍時經常大聲自言自語。

In the 1930s, Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky hypothesized

1930 年代，俄羅斯心理學家 Lev Vygotsky 假設

that this kind of speech was actually key to development.

自言自語其實是人發展的關鍵。

By repeating conversations they've had with adults,

通過重複與成年人的對話，

children practice managing their behaviors and emotions on their own.

孩子們練習管理自己的行為和情緒。

Then, as they grow older, this outward self-talk tends to become internalized,

然後，隨著年齡增長，自言自語往往會內化，

morphing into a private inner dialogue.

轉變成私密的內心對話。

We know this internal self-talk is important,

我們知道這種內心自我對話很重要，

and can help you plan, work through difficult situations, and even motivate you throughout the day.

可以幫助你計劃、解決困難，甚至成為你整天的動力。

But studying self-talk can be difficult.

但是研究自言自語有一定難度。

It relies on study subjects clearly tracking a behavior that's spontaneous and often done without conscious control.

得追蹤研究對象的自發行為，而這些通常是無意識的。

For this reason, scientists are still working to answer basic questions,

出於此因，科學家們仍在努力回答幾個基本問題，

like, why do some people self-talk more than others?

像是，為什麼有些人自言自語的頻率更高？

What areas of the brain are activated during self-talk?

自言自語時大腦哪些區域會活躍？

And how does this activation differ from normal conversation?

這種腦部活躍與正常對話時有何不同？

One thing we know for certain, however,

但是，我們可以肯定的是

is that what you say in these conversations can have real impacts on your attitude and performance.

你對自己說的話會對你的態度和表現產生實質影響。

Engaging in self-talk that's instructional or motivational has been shown to increase focus, boost self-esteem, and help tackle everyday tasks.

有引導性或激勵作用的自言自語已被證實可提高專注力、提升自尊並有助處理日常任務。

For example, one study of collegiate tennis players found that

例如，一項針對大學網球運動員的研究發現

incorporating instructional self-talk into practice increased their concentration and accuracy.

將指導性自我對話融入練習可以提高球員注意力和準確度。

And just as chatting to a friend can help decrease stress,

正如和朋友聊天有助減輕壓力，

speaking directly to yourself may also help you regulate your emotions.

與自己對話也可以幫助調節情緒。

Distanced self-talk is when you talk to yourself as if in conversation with another person.

抽離式自我對話是指用第三人稱與自己對話。

So, rather than "I'm going to crush this exam,"

所以，不會說「我要通過這次考試。」

you might think, "Caleb, you are prepared for this test!"

而是說「Caleb，你已經準備好迎接這次考試了！」

One study found that this kind of self-talk was especially beneficial for reducing stress when engaging in anxiety-inducing tasks,

一項研究發現，在從事容易造成焦慮的活動時，這種自言自語有助於減輕壓力，

such as meeting new people or public speaking.

比如認識新朋友或是公開演說時。

But where positive self-talk can help you, negative self-talk can harm you.

既然正向自言自語可以幫助你，消極的自言自語也會造成傷害。

Most people are critical of themselves occasionally,

大多數人偶爾都會批評自己，

but when this behavior gets too frequent or excessively negative, it can become toxic.

但當這種行為過於頻繁或過於消極時，就會變得有害。

High levels of negative self-talk are often predictive of anxiety in children and adults.

高度消極的自言自語通常預示著兒童和成人日後的焦慮。

And those who constantly blame themselves for their problems and ruminate on those situations

而那些不斷自責並反思自己問題的人

typically experience more intense feelings of depression.

通常會經歷更加強烈的抑鬱。

Today, there's a field of psychological treatment called cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT,

如今，有個心理治療領域被稱為認知行為療法，或 CBT，

which is partially focused on regulating the tone of self-talk.

其部分側重於調節自言自語的語氣。

Cognitive behavioral therapists often teach strategies to identify cycles of negative thoughts

認知行為治療師經常教授辨認出消極思想循環的方式，

and replace them with neutral or more compassionate reflections.

並用中性或更富同情心的思考取而代之。

Over time, these tools can improve one's mental health.

隨時間推移，這些方法可漸漸改善一個人的心理健康。

So the next time you find yourself chatting with yourself,

所以下次發現自己在自言自語時，

remember to be kind.

記得對自己友善點。

That inner voice is a partner you'll be talking to for many years to come.

那個內心的聲音是未來許多年會一直與你交談的伙伴。