Do people really do that? I've only ever seen it on TV.

If I speak aloud when I don't think anyone can hear me, it's always something like "What the hell?" which is an almost involuntary reflex, or "Come on you piece of faecal matter!" which is addressed to something (admittedly an inanimate object). I can't remember actually speaking aloud.

Is that something people do outside TV?

(In case anyone doesn't get why this is in this forum, I'm asking because in Listen the Doctor seemed to imply it's something people do occasionally)

I mutter to myself on times, but its usually when I am really thinking about something and so deep in thought I am not paying attention. I was wandering work once, filling shelves and mumbling about the use of the sublime in gothic fiction.... until I saw the worried looks customers were giving me.

Someone also caught me in a file room, asking a missing file questions :-' Ah great, you are not there, and no slip. So where have you gone? Who would want you? Or are you a box file maybe...' Kind of thing. Not it's name, or if it like lunch or anything.

So erm, I kind of do it.

I do sometimes speak to inanimate objects, but I wouldn't say this is the same. If my "monologue" is something like "Where is that thing? I was sure I left it on the table. Got to retrace my steps... Oh wait, I went to the kitchen while holding it and came back with chocolate" then I tend to do it in my head.

That's pretty much what most people would regard as "talking to yourself" and I think most people do it at some point.

"Talking to yourself" is not a "first sign of insanity" - but it can be an indicator of some problems. We all have "inner monologue" - talking to ourselves "inside our mind" but some people - including some suffering from certain issues - lose that distinction and verbalise their thoughts. That's often disturbing for those around them as thought are often disconnected and erratic.

Beyond that though, verbalising can be a very good thing to do - it often helps to "fix" an idea - possibly because you effectively shift it from the mind to the memory via your sense of hearing. Some people swear that they can make themselves wake up at a specific time by saying that time several times before going to sleep. (never worked for me and not sure how they keep track of the time in their sleep).

It's also noted that people who suddenly find themselves alone - divorcees, widows etc - are more likely to talk to themselves simply out of habit. Someone that talks to a partner during TV shows will continue to do so when alone and there's no-one to hear them - something akin to a "phantom limb", perhaps.

In the context of DW and "Listen" - the biggest joke was that all the time he was talking about talking to yourself, he was talking to himself.

And if anyone's embarrassed about it - try calling it "thinking aloud" - it's sounds less nutty - unless you suddenly say it out loud on a bus.

I talk to myself all the time. In fact I give myself a right good telling off sometimes. Some people think I am a bit radio. I sometimes think I am.

I talk to myself all the time. Usually along the lines of "Why did I do that?" or "That was silly, wasn't it?" etc. And I talk to the TV. I used to have a cat, so I could pretend I was talking to him. Now I haven't, so I have no excuse.

(It's not an age thing - Ive always done it. As a child I had an imaginary friend I used to talk to. But was it imaginary? Ha!)

I admittedly do say a lot of things to myself. I tend to dislike social conversation with most people as I find a lot of trivial topics uninteresting and pointless to talk about, and I am the type who often prefers his own company, so I do tend to say things to myself more than I initially realise.

I am great fun to hang out with, honest. ;-;

I am always muttering under my breath. My other half tells me off when I do it (at least once a day). It makes me look a bit mad but, hey . . .

I talk to myself quite a lot which is fine.

It's when I start answering back that I'm beginning to wonder.....

I used to talk to myself when I was a child. I'd make up friends for myself and give them all names, I think it was because I was lonely and bored.

I was watching 'One Foot in the Grave' the other night - Victor did a whole episode talking to himself one day whilst waiting for a telephone call.
I thought to myself - MY GOD! I do that sometimes I feel quite normal now

basically he needs a cat .

Another talk to myself-er here. Often the only way to have an intelligent conversation. (Yeah, right.)

As far as the Doctor is concerned, of course like the start of 'Listen', it's fine if he's in the TARDIS. After that wonderful conclusion to 'The Doctor's Wife', he can think that at least 'Sexy' is listening to his ramblings!

I've actually given a great reply to this thread, unfortunately I said out loud to myself and forgotten what I said now.


Where's my chalk?

I do it all the time. My colleagues refer to me as a 'verbal processor' - meaning I literally articulate my thoughts as I have them. Sometimes it's basic stuff, such as when I'm packing my bag at the end of the day, sometimes it's reciting a to-do list to myself, sometimes it's thinking about a recent assessment session with a new patient and coming up with a working hypothesis.

For some people it helps to 'think put loud', for other folk writing everything down, for others neither of these things make any difference at all!

Yeah I talk to myself aloud on occasion too, usually when I am reprocessing something that I feel bad about/ashamed off/embarrassed about. I go over the event and say something like 'you idiot', 'why', 'you fool', 'what', '*&$£' etc out loud. Other times I am thinking through a problem and I will say 'oh yeah', 'why didn't I think of that earlier', 'no, that will never work', 'damn', 'so close' or something out loud.

I tend to talk to myself at work in the form of a running commentary on what I am doing. "Breath in, breath out"

https://psychologies.co.uk/self/are-...extrovert.html