What would you think if you saw someone talking to themselves?
By DCLehnsherr
@DCLehnsherr (1037)
August 25, 2009 11:20am CST
Reading the responses on the talking to oneself discussion yesterday made me curious about this now too, so I thought I would ask!
[I]It is probably quite rare to see someone talking to themselves, but if you have what did you think? And if you haven't yet, what do you think your thoughts would be if you stepped out of the room you are in now and saw someone randomly talking to themselves?[/I]
For me I think I have seen someone out in public talking to themselves once before, I think they were in the bus station, and I was so shocked that I actually stopped walking and stared at them. I think I was even tempted to follow them to check if I was right in my suspicions, but didn't in the end as it would be been odd so I kept walking. It gave me a strange buzz though because it meant I wasn't the only one (very much the feeling I had reading responses today!).
On the other hand when I see a family member or sibling (especially sibling) doing it I tend to get a touch defensive like 'I was doing this first, what do you think you are doing?' I never say that, but whenever I have seen my brother doing that I have felt a touch annoyed. I haven't seen him for a while though so maybe the response will change. I imagine it would actually be fun to eavesdrop on a family member, to see what was going on inside their head lol!
So yea, what about you?
Many thanks for responses,
Dranz :)
1 person likes this
18 responses
@zareenalot (66)
• India
26 Aug 09
hi lotters,after a long time im responding to discussions.
Well,i have seen many people talking to themselves and i myself do this.just by seeing anyone can think that they may have some mental disturbance.But the thing is actually they may have some problems,worries that make them so.Even i speak to myself
when i am thinking of something whether it may be on road or any where else.Its a kind of mental stress which makes us to talk themselves.I feel good and some what relaxed when i do so.I dont think talking to themselves is a bad act.We should not make fun of them.
@horsesrule (1957)
• United States
26 Aug 09
I have seen people talking to themselves in public and I don't think about it too much. I don't have a problem with it or anything. Sometimes I even talk to myself, often quite randomly when something will pop into my mind. I don't know if its all that unusual.
@srganesh (6340)
• India
26 Aug 09
I have seen some old people talking to themselves like that.I think,as they have no one to share or they want to recollect something from the past,they do it.Even youngsters too when they are studying for exams,I have seen some of then narrating to themselves.Either way it is not a serious issue to worry about.We all,once in a while speak to ourselves atleast not audible to others.Cheers!
@webearn99 (1742)
• India
26 Aug 09
I do it myself and know a very acute emotion triggers these bouts. So if I see someone doing it I can judge from their expression whether they are happy , sad or angry. I respond to their emotion.
It happened just last week,my son went to an Interview and it did not go well. When I came back home from office, I found him staring at the TV, not really seeing it and muttering darkly about what was bothering him. I could just put a hand on his shoulder to tell him I was with him. The pain was shared.
Try not to listen in, you may be burdened with their misery.
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
25 Aug 09
I suppose it all would depend on whether they WERE actually talking to themselves,or to someone else via a phone or bluetooth earpiece..I saw a Woman in a restaurant once,alone at a table,apparently just with her head resting on her hand,and as I was going past realised she was talking,so I looked to see was it Me she was addressing,and then I realised that with her elbow on the table and her hand under her long hair,She had a cellphone to her ear!
As Long as someone in public is doing no harm to themselves or others,there's no intervention on your part needed (and probably not wanted!) if you see someone talking to themselves.If they wanted help,they could get it.
@arcidy (5005)
• United States
25 Aug 09
Well my grandmother usally talks to herself a lot even though she is 95 and when I see her do I think she is a bit crazy since I dont understand her because she speaks spanish and I dont speak it so she seems crazy to me when ever she speaks to her self.
@bigplay (212)
• United States
25 Aug 09
It usually doesn't faze me, except if they're actually "talking" to themselves. Like if they're walking down the street having whole conversations as if it was with another person, but maybe they're trying to figure out something, i talk to myself sometimes but only in my house. I only do that while i'm online, or playing video games, and i think outloud about what i'm doing, whenever i talk to myself, its always either when i get angry, or when i'm trying to figure something out, or when i get excited and i start to talk about what i'm excited about, some people have to talk to themselves, its not good though to do it in public. But most of the time when you see people talking to thsmselves, its just them thinking outloud, they have something on their mind.
@shimanaja (493)
• Indonesia
26 Aug 09
I saw a man with his motorcycle and he talked to himself, at that time i was amused. But I knew that he is not crazy, he was talking with his cellphone and it looks like that is talking to himself because he was enjoying the conversation and so seriously. Or some people talked to themselves because they want to motivate to be better person i guess. thanks...
@janebeth (2032)
• Philippines
26 Aug 09
hi there,
first thing i will do is to observe the person, if he is listening to something or whatever.. but if i can't see those things, of course i will just laugh and i will surely think that he/she is crazy for talking all by herself/himself.. so weird..!!
janebeth.
@indybaty (368)
• Panama
25 Aug 09
I talk to myself very often... when I feel that someone is evesdroping I just, well, stop talking. Not because Im afraid of what they might think, just could be that they would want some peace and quiet nad not hear me blabber :D
And if I hear someone talk to themselves I dont think a big deal of it, either person is stressed out or just acting something out like Zoey mentioned earlier on.
@kitty42 (3923)
• United States
26 Aug 09
Hi DCLehnsherr 
Well coming from a person that loves to talk to herself 
, I would say if I saw someone here in NYC walking down the street talking to themselves loud for everyone to hear i would assume that person is probably not the sharpest knife in the kitchen stay away from them.
If I see someone just mumbling to themself or if someone is in a store while looking at different cloths talking to themself these people are o.k, its only the loud obnoxious people that we should worry about.
Well coming from a person that loves to talk to herself , I would say if I saw someone here in NYC walking down the street talking to themselves loud for everyone to hear i would assume that person is probably not the sharpest knife in the kitchen stay away from them.
If I see someone just mumbling to themself or if someone is in a store while looking at different cloths talking to themself these people are o.k, its only the loud obnoxious people that we should worry about. @Gladia (36)
• Philippines
26 Aug 09
Sometimes I also talk to myself, in cases like I'm really confused and there's no one around to explain to me. I try to explain it to myself.
If I see someone talking to themselves, I'd think of two things. Either they're some kind of lunatic or they might just have no one to talk to that time.
@zoey7879 (3092)
• United States
25 Aug 09
I don't think a whole lot of it, and if I'm not going to listen carefully to EVERYTHING that they are saying... Some people count to themselves.. sing to themselves... some people calculate things aloud... Others plan their day, or scenarios like what they are going to say when they confront their cheating lover, etc. However, in a case like with a man that locals affectionately named Kung Fu Jesus...... I'd back away, slowly, and very concerned. He used to talk to himself about being a Kung Fu Master, the apocolypse, and claim that he was Jesus LOL
If you think it'd be fun to eavesdrop on a family member.. lol.. I was hard of hearing for many years, but not entirely deaf. You'd be surprised at the things people say. You should watch the movie "What the Deaf Man Heard".. It'll give you a little spin on this .. interesting phenom.
@justbeingtiffany (1156)
• United States
25 Aug 09
well since i talk to myself alot. if i saw someone talking to there self i might think there normal. i talk to myself when no ones home or if i'm bored and i just feel like talking. i don't have a full conversation with myself but if i'm the computer and someone says something funny i'm talk to myself and say something i would say to them in real life. or i might just be talking to myself because i am studing. or another reason i'm talking to myself might be i'm trying to remembering something. oh by the way i mean studying because i have french and saying it in my head sometimes doesn't work so i might say it out loud. and then there might just but those weird looking crazy people who talks to them self i might just stay away from them and avoid eye contact. because once i seen a crazy like that before. i was on the bus. and he started yelling i thought he was yelling at the person sitting next to him but no. so i tried to mind my own bussiness and pray they he would get off before me. or i would get off before him real soon. no telling what he would do maybe he was off hjis meds. well happy mylotting. bell just rung. getting back to class. cya....
@vandana7 (98778)
• India
25 Aug 09
I often talk to myself, and having lived alone for quite a while now, I dont really realize that others are around or not. I kind of lost that sense. So I might be one of those persons whom u find talking to themselves. :-) But then, so far, I havent done it in public, as far as I know. :-) In general, the first reaction would of course be surprise, "What..", then oh, may be preoccupied, or may not have been able to retaliate when he or should have and is therefore grumbling, and thereafter may be stressed out. After that, I think I ignore. I dont consider them mad, no. There are other characteristics for madness like tearing clothes, and yelling, and pulling hair, etc., which r not present. Talking aloud I would not consider as psychological aberration. Instead, I'd treat it as speech indiscipline. May be it comes out of loneliness. Need to check on that. May be, there is a pain behind it. Though in my case, there is not much of it, I admit. I merely talk things aloud.
