Read Talking out loud to yourself is a technology for thinking by Nana Ariel (Psyche)
Talking out loud to oneself is a technology for thinking that allows us to clarify and sharpen our approach to a problem

I ran across this article this evening and some of the ideas resonate strongly with me. The article mentions some areas of psychology research and a few papers I hadn’t seen before.

I’m also particularly interested in the idea of embodied cognition within cognitive psychology. Has anyone delved into these areas in their research or memory-related work? @LynneKelly’s research and written texts encourage singing, dancing and performing (I don’t recall specifically speaking or walking in her contexts, but I’m sure they’re all closely related), but has anyone else experimented with these additional modalities in their practice?

Most of the Western-based mnemotechniques I’m aware of are focused almost solely on internalized speech/thought. Can anyone think of any which aren’t?

I’ve seen several works in which Nassim Nicholas Taleb propounds the benefits of the flaneur lifestyle for improving thought, though his mentions are purely anecdotal as I recall. I’d appreciate any additional references to research in these areas if others are aware.


Like many of us, I talk to myself out loud, though I’m a little unusual in that I often do it in public spaces. Whenever I want to figure out an issue, develop an idea or memorise a text, I turn to this odd work routine. While it’s definitely earned me a reputation in my neighbourhood, it’s also improved my thinking and speaking skills immensely. Speaking out loud is not only a medium of communication, but a technology of thinking: it encourages the formation and processing of thoughts.

I’ve noticed speaking out loud also seems to help me in practicing and acquiring a new language.
Annotated on December 28, 2020 at 09:52PM

The idea that speaking out loud and thinking are closely related isn’t new. It emerged in Ancient Greece and Rome, in the work of such great orators as Marcus Tullius Cicero. But perhaps the most intriguing modern development of the idea appeared in the essay ‘On the Gradual Formation of Thoughts During Speech’ (1805) by the German writer Heinrich von Kleist. 

Some of this is at play with the idea of “[rubber ducking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging)” as a means of debugging programs
Annotated on December 28, 2020 at 09:55PM

In both cases – speech and writing – the materiality of language undergoes a transformation (to audible sounds or written signs) which in turn produces a mental shift. 

There’s surely a link between this and the idea of thought spaces in the blogosphere or the idea of a commonplace book/digital garden/wiki.
Annotated on December 28, 2020 at 10:06PM

Mute inner speech can appear as an inner dialogue as well, but its truncated form encourages us to create a ‘secret’ abbreviated language and deploy mental shortcuts. By forcing us to articulate ourselves more fully, self-talk summons up the image of an imagined listener or interrogator more vividly. In this way, it allows us to question ourselves more critically by adopting an external perspective on our ideas, and so to consider shortcomings in our arguments – all while using our own speech. 

I’m also reading this and wondering about memory techniques and methods and how these may interact beneficially.
Annotated on December 28, 2020 at 10:07PM

It’s no coincidence that we walk when we need to think: evidence shows that movement enhances thinking and learning, and both are activated in the same centre of motor control in the brain. In the influential subfield of cognitive science concerned with ‘embodied’ cognition, one prominent claim is that actions themselves are constitutive of cognitive processes. That is, activities such as playing a musical instrument, writing, speaking or dancing don’t start in the brain and then emanate out to the body as actions; rather, they entail the mind and body working in concert as a creative, integrated whole, unfolding and influencing each other in turn. It’s therefore a significant problem that many of us are trapped in work and study environments that don’t allow us to activate these intuitive cognitive muscles, and indeed often even encourage us to avoid them. 

I’m curious if Lynne Kelly or others have looked into these areas of research with their Memory work? She’s definitely posited that singing and dancing as well as creating art helps indigenous cultures in their memory work.
Annotated on December 28, 2020 at 10:10PM

📑 Read Write Respond #037 | Read Write Collect | Aaron Davis

Annotated Read Write Respond #037 by Aaron DavisAaron Davis (Read Write Collect)
eating in a ‘twelve hour window’  
Ha! I recently ran across sever people pushing fasting apps including one called Zero which encourages fasting for 16 hours (or essentially skipping one meal a day.)

Many have been quietly pushing this for the past few years in relation to things like the paleo diet, etc. I’ll also note that Nassim Nicholas Taleb has mentioned something like it frequently (since you mention flaneuring below).

📑 Read Write Respond #037 | Read Write Collect | Aaron Davis

Annotated Read Write Respond #037 by Aaron DavisAaron Davis (Read Write Collect)
Are there any other texts that you would add to my list to guide my personal inquiry this year?  
You might take a quick search into some of the writings of Nassim Nicholas Taleb relating to the idea. He mentions some of the benefits of being a flâneur interspersed in several of his books as side topics, but I’m sure he’s got to have an essay or two on the overall topic.

He’s one of the people I’ve noticed using the word (in his case as a title which he might put as a profession on his business card) in the past 20 years who seems to have brought it to the social forefront to the point that many of your other references have been influenced by it.

I think there’s a lot to be learned about the overarching idea, so I’m interested to see what you come up with on an extended survey of the word as you progress.

👓 All Those Books You’ve Bought but Haven’t Read? There’s a Word for That | New York Times

Read All Those Books You’ve Bought but Haven’t Read? There’s a Word for That by Kevin Mims (nytimes.com)
Most of us own books we’ve read and books we haven’t. Kevin Mims considers the importance of owning books we’ll never get around to finishing.
I had hoped for more here, but it’s just a recap of things I’ve read in either their original incarnations or via other resources.

👓 Nassim Taleb explains the power of “skin in the game” | The Economist

Read Nassim Taleb explains the power of “skin in the game” (The Economist)
Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life. By Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Random House; 304 pages; $30. Allen Lane; £20. IN 2001 Nassim Taleb published “Fooled by Randomness”, an entertaining and provocative book on the misunderstood role of chance.
I’ve enjoyed his prior books which I always felt rambled on a bit without a lot of real structure. This review makes me think he’s gone even further off the rails. While I admire and respect his work, it’s very painful to read. I’ve always thought it could stand a far stronger editorial influence to improve its logic and flow. I suspect that while his books sell, they’re not as widely accepted nor do they have the impact that they could have. I’m iffy on whether or not this one is worth the time.