Many of us use self-talk to inspire and improve ourselves. Yet the typically harsh, punishing approach often backfires (for example, Loser!). Research has repeatedly linked self-criticism to various ...

In J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf, after talking to himself aloud in the presence of others, defends the practice as, “a habit of the old,” to speak to the wisest person available.