Be it in the library or in shops, I often hear old folks talking to themselves. Is it a habit they’ve likely always had or is it something to do with aging?
I’m middle aged or early middle aged, I talk to things all the time, other day train stopped but the doors weren’t opening because driver must be slow or something, so I jut said “come now door, open up”. Woman next to me just looked at me like with concern like i need psychological help.
What’s the big deal, I know door is not going to respond. Life is just fun pretending that it can. I’ve talked to things since my 20s.
you will get there. they don’t give a fuck anymore :) also it’s more thinking out loud
For me, it’s because I was born with a defective give-a-shitter and that thing died completely about a decade ago.
That’s not even a joke.
But you run into it a lot. It isn’t just older folks, but it amounts to people being prone to it gradually losing their filter for it. When you’re younger, you tend to care more about perceptions. At some point, that starts going away because you realize it isn’t worth the energy it takes, and you have less energy anyway.
I am one of the few people I enjoy talking too… who else would I talk to?
I’m in my 60s. I’ve only been living alone for about a year and a half, but I do find that talking to myself (or the cat) is preferable to going ages without saying a word. I don’t do it when I’m out in public, but I could easily see it becoming a habit after enough years of it.
I’m honestly more concerned about farting loudly becoming a habit, since I don’t have to worry about farting quietly 90% of the time.
Farting is the best.
Two reasons I can think of it being age related, though I think it’s pretty common at any age:
- Cognition and short term memory isn’t what it used to be, and saying things out loud helps
- With age you stop giving a fuck what people around you think (source: self)
The older you get, the more you realize the people that make fun of useful behaviour are the ones that are wrong. If something makes your life better, but other people make fun of you for it, they are just jerks and you can ignore them.
I talk to myself all the time and I am only in my thirties. I think it’s partly because I work from home and therefore spend around 8-10 hours talking to myself or the dog at home, or sit in total silence. It’s hard to break that habit when I’m at the shop or other public space. Many elderly people also live quite lonely lives, so maybe that’s why?
I spend most of my time alone and have such a strong internal dialogue going on that it does the same basic thing without me making a noise. My mother in law verbalizes all of her thoughts, and always has even when surrounded by people. It reminds me of my internal dialogue!
I don’t think it has anything to do with being lonely, just how someone processes their thoughts.
I think the lonely part means I’m not used to having to suppress my internal voice going external anymore. Are there people that don’t have an internal dialogue going on at all times?
I’m like you, but my wife is like your MIL. It’s caused some issues for sure.
One big one is her thinking I’m being dismissive when she points out potential issues in a plan I tell her. I’m not dismissing them, I’ve just already recognized and addressed those issues in my internal dialog.
Exact same situation here. I figure it’s only a problem if the dogs start talking back.
Define “old people”.
I’ve doing that since my late 20s at least.
ADHD…spend most of my time silent. When I speak a thought aloud, it puts some emphasis on that thought. Helps me remember important things.
To make sure the normal people keep their distance.
best answer yet lmao
Most of mine are “What the fuck am I supposed to be buying again?” or “What did I come here for?” and just variations of those situations
Talking to the only interesting person in the room
I’m 31 and I’ve been doing this (soliloquy) since my early childhood.
Are they having a conversation or just thinking out loud?
The legend goes that Einstein thought out loud all the time. If it’s good enough for Albert, it’s good enough for me.
