It’s natural to feel somewhat fearful of saying something that not everyone agrees with, especially if you’re young. I think this fear to speak up hinders the development of people in three major ways: confidence, social skills, and happiness.
All my life, I have been challenged in what I have either wanted to say or have said. But for me, the philosophy is to speak whatever is on your mind because it is who God made you to be. Along with this, your opinion being expressed to others allows your perspective to be challenged and allows you to also grow as a person.
Not only because it’s good to have people know who you truly are. But including the factor, that it is cognitively beneficial your whole life. I hope I can convince you that speaking your mind, even if incorrect, raw, and unprocessed, is still beneficial, and free thought and conversation is the most important gift you have been blessed with.
Many scientists agree that allowing conversational responses from children aged 4-6 can help increase their cognitive abilities and overall language development–no matter what class or education. A very important factor is an active conversation between you and your child. If you have a kid who can speak, maybe talk less and listen more.
Along with this, speaking is actually more cognitively beneficial than listening. So the next time you think someone is talking too much or saying the wrong things, remember they are developing their brain better than you are listening, and remember to interject yourself into the conversation to disagree or anything of that nature. Not only will these benefit you mentally but also socially. Imagine if everyone who interacts with you already knows what you’re about. It would make lifelong relationships a lot easier because you’re being honest and genuine about who you are.
Research also shows that giving kids challenges to think about and ways to talk about their feelings allows them to develop better coping skills. Encouraging independence not only physically but mentally in speech and cognition can cultivate these benefits, basically again letting your kids develop solutions and answer to conversations, even if they may not work, it helps continue developing their problem-solving skills.
Helping your child understand their thought process can also make parenting easier in the early stages of development. Imagine how much easier it would be when your child gets overwhelmed if they could just naturally express what is making them uncomfortable. This enables them to understand development and evolution–how people, like their friends, thought processes, and opinions can shape and form, saving them from social issues and or pressure because they get it, like older people do. They gain tools by being allowed the experience of developing their thoughts.
But what about adults and more developed minds? Does it benefit them too? Well, most studies show, yes, as far as pertaining to social and coping benefits and allowing more clarity in thought, similar to that in children. Another shown benefit of speaking out is fewer compulsive and obsessive thoughts. For example, when you think about something, trying not to think about it leads to an obsessive cycle of keeping the thought running through your head. Maybe next time close your eyes and open your mouth, even if it’s to everyone or no one. It’s liberating.
Even speaking instructions out loud is beneficial. A study was conducted on 28 people, with some told to read out the instructions, and others were told to read them in their heads. People who read out loud overall comprehended the instructions they had received better. So, the next time you don’t understand a concept, maybe you should stop, slow down and say it out loud.
All the evidence points to being able to speak your mind in any capacity and teaching younger people to do the same allows for a more diverse world. A more comprehensive thought process also helps with deeper understanding of evolution in thought and conversation, equipping everyone with the tools to deal with issues that are large to issues that are small.
After all of this, you may be wondering how to speak for yourself and tell people your thoughts more often. Well, there are many ways, including, but not limited to: noticing when the other person is doing all the talking and putting your thoughts into the conversation; allowing yourself and others to disagree will allow you to assert your part of the conversation. It helps to be expressive about what you believe and represent to make sure you have clarity in your speech and tone; it increases your ability to ask engaging and conversational questions (a.k.a. hard and or interesting questions) that challenge the person you are talking with.
Another thing you can use to engage yourself is talking about something you are passionate about or interested in. It would be really hard to talk about something objective if you only care about subjectivity.
Freedom of thought and speech is the greatest blessing for confidence, social skills, mental sanity, and happiness. The next time you have a big weight on your chest and you wanna talk about it: free yourself!
