TED演讲-偶尔自言自语?很正常！
在TED的演讲节目中，演讲者清晰的口语表达及其内容的写作手法都是值得我们学习借鉴的。你是否偶尔会发现自己在自言自语呢？在本期的TED演讲中，演讲者将从科学研究的角度告诉我们这是种正常现象。请结合视频内容，开始口语学习吧！
原文及翻译
As your morning alarm blares, you mutter to yourself, “why did I set it so early?” While brushing your teeth, you think, “I need a haircut.” Unless, rushing out the front door, you reach for your keys and realize they're not there. Frustrated, you shout, “I can't do anything!”—right in time to notice your neighbor. Being caught talking to yourself can feel embarrassing, and some people even stigmatize this behavior as a sign of mental instability. But decades of psychology research show that talking to yourself is completely normal.
早晨闹钟响起时，你会自言自语：“我为什么把它定得这么早？”刷牙时，你会想：“我需要理发。”但当你冲出前门时，你伸手去拿钥匙，却发现钥匙不在。你沮丧地大喊：“我什么也做不了！”——这时你注意到了你的邻居。被发现自言自语会让人感到尴尬，有些人甚至认为这种行为是精神不稳定的表现。但几十年的心理学研究表明，自言自语是完全正常的。
In fact, most—if not all of us—engage in some form of self-talk every single day. So why do we talk to ourselves, and does what we say matter? Self-talk refers to the narration inside your head, sometimes called inner speech. It differs from mental imagery or recalling facts and figures. Specifically, psychologists define self-talk as verbalized thoughts directed toward yourself or some facet of your life. This includes personal conversations like, “I need to work on my free throw,” but it also includes reflections you have throughout the day, like, “the gym's crowded tonight. I'll come back tomorrow.” And while most self-talk in adults tends to be silent, speaking to yourself out loud also falls into this category.
事实上，我们大多数人（如果不是所有人）每天都会进行某种形式的自言自语。那么我们为什么要自言自语呢？我们说的话重要吗？自言自语是指你头脑中的叙述，有时也称为内心语言。它不同于心理意象或回忆事实和数据。具体来说，心理学家将自言自语定义为针对自己或生活某些方面的口头想法。这包括个人对话，例如“我需要练习罚球”，但也包括你一整天的反思，例如“今晚体育馆人很多。我明天再来。”虽然成年人的大多数自言自语往往是无声的，但大声对自己说话也属于这一类。
In fact, psychologists believe our first experiences with self-talk are mostly vocal, as children often speak to themselves out loud as they play. In the 1930s, Russian psychologist Lev Vigotsky hypothesized that this kind of speech was actually key to development. By repeating conversations they've had with adults, children practice managing their behaviors and emotions on their own. Then, as they grow older, this outward self-talk tends to become internalized, morphing into a private inner dialogue. We know this internal self-talk is important and can help you plan, work through difficult situations, and even motivate you throughout the day.
事实上，心理学家认为我们第一次自言自语的经历大多是有声的，因为孩子们在玩耍时经常大声自言自语。20世纪30年代，俄罗斯心理学家列夫·维果茨基假设这种言语实际上是发展的关键。通过重复与成年人的对话，孩子们练习自己管理自己的行为和情绪。然后，随着年龄的增长，这种外在的自言自语往往会被内化，演变成一种私人的内心对话。我们知道这种内在的自言自语很重要，可以帮助你制定计划、解决困难情况，甚至激励你一整天。
But studying self-talk can be difficult. It relies on study subjects clearly tracking a behavior that's spontaneous and often done without conscious control. For this reason, scientists are still working to answer basic questions like: why do some people self-talk more than others? What areas of the brain are activated during self-talk? And how does this activation differ from normal conversation? One thing we know for certain, however, is that what you say in these conversations can have real impact on your attitude and performance.
但研究自言自语可能很困难。它依赖于研究对象明确地追踪一种自发的、通常不受意识控制的行为。因此，科学家们仍在努力回答一些基本问题，例如：为什么有些人比其他人更爱自言自语？自言自语时大脑的哪些区域会被激活？这种激活与正常对话有何不同？然而，有一件事我们可以肯定，那就是你在这些对话中所说的话会对你的态度和表现产生真正的影响。
Engaging in self-talk that's instructional or motivational has been shown to increase focus, boost self-esteem, and help tackle every day tasks. For example, one study of collegiate tennis players found that incorporating instructional self-talk into practice increased their concentration and accuracy. And just as chatting to a friend can help decrease stress, speaking directly to yourself may also help you regulate your emotions. Distanced self-talk is when you talk to yourself as if in conversation with another person, so rather than "I'm gonna crush this exam," you might think, "Caleb, you are prepared for this test." One study found that this kind of self-talk was especially beneficial for reducing stress when engaging in anxiety inducing tasks, such as meeting new people or public speaking.
研究表明，进行指导性或激励性的自言自语可以提高注意力、增强自尊心，并帮助解决日常任务。例如，一项针对大学网球运动员的研究发现，将指导性的自言自语融入到练习中可以提高他们的注意力和准确性。就像和朋友聊天可以帮助减轻压力一样，直接对自己说话也可能有助于你调节情绪。疏远的自言自语是指你像和另一个人交谈一样自言自语，所以你可能会想，“Caleb，你已经为这次考试做好了准备”，而不是“我要通过这次考试”。一项研究发现，这种自我对话对于在从事引起焦虑的任务（例如结识新朋友或公开演讲）时减轻压力特别有益。
以上就是本期TED演讲的分享，希望对您的口语、写作水平都有帮助！您也可以访问网站主页，获取最新的英语学习资料，全方位提升英语水平。
原文及翻译
As your morning alarm blares, you mutter to yourself, “why did I set it so early?” While brushing your teeth, you think, “I need a haircut.” Unless, rushing out the front door, you reach for your keys and realize they're not there. Frustrated, you shout, “I can't do anything!”—right in time to notice your neighbor. Being caught talking to yourself can feel embarrassing, and some people even stigmatize this behavior as a sign of mental instability. But decades of psychology research show that talking to yourself is completely normal.
早晨闹钟响起时，你会自言自语：“我为什么把它定得这么早？”刷牙时，你会想：“我需要理发。”但当你冲出前门时，你伸手去拿钥匙，却发现钥匙不在。你沮丧地大喊：“我什么也做不了！”——这时你注意到了你的邻居。被发现自言自语会让人感到尴尬，有些人甚至认为这种行为是精神不稳定的表现。但几十年的心理学研究表明，自言自语是完全正常的。
In fact, most—if not all of us—engage in some form of self-talk every single day. So why do we talk to ourselves, and does what we say matter? Self-talk refers to the narration inside your head, sometimes called inner speech. It differs from mental imagery or recalling facts and figures. Specifically, psychologists define self-talk as verbalized thoughts directed toward yourself or some facet of your life. This includes personal conversations like, “I need to work on my free throw,” but it also includes reflections you have throughout the day, like, “the gym's crowded tonight. I'll come back tomorrow.” And while most self-talk in adults tends to be silent, speaking to yourself out loud also falls into this category.
事实上，我们大多数人（如果不是所有人）每天都会进行某种形式的自言自语。那么我们为什么要自言自语呢？我们说的话重要吗？自言自语是指你头脑中的叙述，有时也称为内心语言。它不同于心理意象或回忆事实和数据。具体来说，心理学家将自言自语定义为针对自己或生活某些方面的口头想法。这包括个人对话，例如“我需要练习罚球”，但也包括你一整天的反思，例如“今晚体育馆人很多。我明天再来。”虽然成年人的大多数自言自语往往是无声的，但大声对自己说话也属于这一类。
In fact, psychologists believe our first experiences with self-talk are mostly vocal, as children often speak to themselves out loud as they play. In the 1930s, Russian psychologist Lev Vigotsky hypothesized that this kind of speech was actually key to development. By repeating conversations they've had with adults, children practice managing their behaviors and emotions on their own. Then, as they grow older, this outward self-talk tends to become internalized, morphing into a private inner dialogue. We know this internal self-talk is important and can help you plan, work through difficult situations, and even motivate you throughout the day.
事实上，心理学家认为我们第一次自言自语的经历大多是有声的，因为孩子们在玩耍时经常大声自言自语。20世纪30年代，俄罗斯心理学家列夫·维果茨基假设这种言语实际上是发展的关键。通过重复与成年人的对话，孩子们练习自己管理自己的行为和情绪。然后，随着年龄的增长，这种外在的自言自语往往会被内化，演变成一种私人的内心对话。我们知道这种内在的自言自语很重要，可以帮助你制定计划、解决困难情况，甚至激励你一整天。
But studying self-talk can be difficult. It relies on study subjects clearly tracking a behavior that's spontaneous and often done without conscious control. For this reason, scientists are still working to answer basic questions like: why do some people self-talk more than others? What areas of the brain are activated during self-talk? And how does this activation differ from normal conversation? One thing we know for certain, however, is that what you say in these conversations can have real impact on your attitude and performance.
但研究自言自语可能很困难。它依赖于研究对象明确地追踪一种自发的、通常不受意识控制的行为。因此，科学家们仍在努力回答一些基本问题，例如：为什么有些人比其他人更爱自言自语？自言自语时大脑的哪些区域会被激活？这种激活与正常对话有何不同？然而，有一件事我们可以肯定，那就是你在这些对话中所说的话会对你的态度和表现产生真正的影响。
Engaging in self-talk that's instructional or motivational has been shown to increase focus, boost self-esteem, and help tackle every day tasks. For example, one study of collegiate tennis players found that incorporating instructional self-talk into practice increased their concentration and accuracy. And just as chatting to a friend can help decrease stress, speaking directly to yourself may also help you regulate your emotions. Distanced self-talk is when you talk to yourself as if in conversation with another person, so rather than "I'm gonna crush this exam," you might think, "Caleb, you are prepared for this test." One study found that this kind of self-talk was especially beneficial for reducing stress when engaging in anxiety inducing tasks, such as meeting new people or public speaking.
研究表明，进行指导性或激励性的自言自语可以提高注意力、增强自尊心，并帮助解决日常任务。例如，一项针对大学网球运动员的研究发现，将指导性的自言自语融入到练习中可以提高他们的注意力和准确性。就像和朋友聊天可以帮助减轻压力一样，直接对自己说话也可能有助于你调节情绪。疏远的自言自语是指你像和另一个人交谈一样自言自语，所以你可能会想，“Caleb，你已经为这次考试做好了准备”，而不是“我要通过这次考试”。一项研究发现，这种自我对话对于在从事引起焦虑的任务（例如结识新朋友或公开演讲）时减轻压力特别有益。
以上就是本期TED演讲的分享，希望对您的口语、写作水平都有帮助！您也可以访问网站主页，获取最新的英语学习资料，全方位提升英语水平。
