Heart Talk

Johanne Nedergaard, PhD student, Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science and Semiotics, Aarhus University
Mikkel Wallentin, Professor, Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science and Semiotics, Aarhus University

Abstract: Speech addressed to the self (self-talk) is a prominent part of most people’s conscious experience. This self-talk can have both beneficial (planning, self-regulation) and detrimental (anxiety, rumination) consequences. In this study, we focused specifically on physiological consequences of difference kinds of self-talk. We measured participants’ whole-body movements, respiration, and heart rate while they talked to themselves covertly in either a positive or a negative manner as well as during silent counting (the control condition). Our main hypothesis was that positive and especially negative self-talk would be associated with elevated heart rate in the absence of motor movement compared with the control condition. The relationship between inner speech, cognition, and the body has important implications for theories on rumination and depression.

Free of charge - All are welcome to attend