Almost everyone thinks talking alone is crazy, and when we do we make sure that no one is listening. However, it seems that this habit stimulates the brain and helps it to better concentrate on the task or problem to be solved, according to a study recently published in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Pyschology .
The researchers, from the Universities of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania (USA), conducted an experiment with 20 volunteers who were asked to find different objects within a room. The scientists found that people who repeated the name of the object aloud while performing tasks were able to complete the test in less time than others.
"If we already know what that object is like, repeating its name aloud helps our brain to reactivate that visual information and that facilitates its search," explain the authors of the work. In this way, language could stimulate perception, making the individual focus their attention on the task to be performed. Other previous studies have shown that children, when they repeat aloud the actions they must do for tasks such as tying their shoes, learn the process more effectively.
In future research, the scientists plan to scan the brain at the same time as the experiment and study the regions of the brain that are activated during the process.
