Ethan Kross. Chatter
Chapter one. The beginning of a dialogue with oneself.
Thanks to an experiment on the streets of New York, we know that our inner voice switches from our immediate problems to more serious ones.
Self-talk is unique, just like people's lives. Most often, we are talking about the processing of negative information that arises as a result of associations, and thoughts are chained one after another.
Self-focus is one of the main features of our internal dialogue.
The cultural environment shapes our parents' voices, which in turn influence us.
The inner voice begins to manifest itself in childhood.
In families with a developed culture of communication, children develop their inner voice earlier.
The inner voice reminds us of the tasks.
Chapter two. When internal conversations lead to undesirable consequences.
Our inner voice can affect our concentration and prevent us from using our skills.
We become more aggressive in the presence of a constant inner voice.
We often take our aggression out on those who don't deserve it. Before sharing your feelings on social networks, you should analyze your emotions.
Chapter three. View from the outside
Rumination is a process of repeatedly processing negative thoughts about the past and oneself in the head.
To reduce the internal conflict, you can use distance from the stimulus.
Distance shortens the duration of both negative and positive emotions.
If you were promoted and you looked at it from the other side, you will get less positive emotions.
Even the perceived reduction of the problem reduces the consequences.
The ability to look at oneself from the side helps a person control the inner voice.
Solomon's paradox. Solomon, famous for his wisdom, made rash decisions that ultimately led to the collapse of the empire. In our assessment of our own actions, we are not so wise and are not able to look at ourselves from the outside.
Wisdom is the ability to think constructively about a range of issues, including uncertainties.
It is wise to think, evaluate the overall picture and at the same time be aware of the limitations of your knowledge.
Distance has a positive effect on decision-making, decisions become more weighty, without undue influence of emotions.
Temporal distancing is a method where people who have faced serious problems are asked to imagine this situation in 10 years, which allows them to objectively analyze the situation.
Chapter four. When "I" turns into "you".
Illusion of frequency - after learning a new word, you notice that it begins to occur much more often. In fact, it occurs with the same frequency, it's just that the brain becomes more sensitive to it.
Using your name in the third person helps you to overcome stress and feel more confident.
Chapter five. Others: valuable asset or threat.
Exchanging negative emotions is not able to relieve tension. People who share negative emotions have more intense internal dialogues. Those who talked the most about their feelings had the highest levels of anxiety and the worst health.
In addition to the fight-or-flight response, we tend to band together in difficult situations. The fact is that those around us do not satisfy our cognitive needs, focusing on satisfying our emotional needs, simply put, they express support.
Retelling the situation creates the effect of joint rumination.
Make sure your help is needed, because unsolicited help can lead to conflict. It is interpreted as an indicator of weakness.
A simple touch has a positive effect on solving internal problems.
Chapter Six. Exterior and interior
The environment and the view from the window affect the recovery of patients and the internal state.
With a good view from the window, concentration improves and the desire to procrastinate decreases.
The resources of voluntary attention are quickly depleted, we cannot force ourselves to concentrate on the task for a long time.
Photos or videos of nature also help restore focus.
Listening to the sounds of nature improves our concentration.
Awe is the feeling we experience when watching sports matches or visiting art galleries. It has a positive effect on the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and reduces rumination. When you have a breathtaking view, you feel small and the scale of your problem shrinks. Reverent awe - makes you consider time as the most valuable resource. The inner voice enters the shadow before the majesty of huge phenomena.
Nadal's ritual. During a match, the hardest thing is to calm the voices in your head. Carefully arranging the bottles near the bench and smoothing his hair, Nadal resorts to a technique that psychologists call compensatory control, when order is lacking from within, he creates it from without. The mess we see around us makes us depressed. An excessive desire to organize everything around can negatively affect our concentration.
Chapter seven. The magical power of consciousness.
Mesmerism is the influence of magnets on the human body. This method was debunked by a commission led by Benjamin Franklin. Although this method has been disproved, it has been found that our belief in the treatment method has a positive effect on treatment outcomes.
Placebo is our desire to endow things with magical powers.
The power of expectations. We always rely on our expectations. The more experience we gain from our previous experiences, the more accurate our expectations become. When you believe in something, our body strives to make it a reality. A placebo has a greater effect on our emotional state. Rituals Participation in rituals helps suppress the inner voice and normalize the emotional background. Ritual helps to achieve better results. They are filled with meaning, they help to cope with anxiety, distract us from current experiences, give a sense of control.
The magic of consciousness. Rituals and placebos trigger mechanisms to fight internal chaos in our minds.
Conclusion
We make a mistake when we value our inner voice only because it inspires us. Even if the inner voice causes negative emotions, this in itself is not bad. The ability to feel fear and excitement in small doses is useful.