There is often a feeling that someone who is reading aloud to themselves may somehow be unstable. This is not at all necessarily true and in fact to the contrary reading aloud to oneself may be a good way to improve one's memory.
The University of Waterloo reports that research has found that memory is improved with reading information aloud. Words are better stored in long-term memory when you speak text aloud. The most beneficial effect on memory has been observed to be from the dual action of speaking and also hearing oneself.
Colin M. MacLeod, who is a professor and chair of the Department of Psychology at Waterloo, says it has been confirmed by this study that both learning and memory gain the most benefit from active involvement. Memory is enhanced when an active component or a production element is added to it.
It has been suggested that a part of the memory benefit of speech comes from taking the time to be personal and self-referential. There is also a production effect of various activities, such as writing and typing words, which helps to enhance overall retention of memory. Exercise and movement, such as seen when doing puzzles and crosswords, also seems to help strengthen memory.
This study has been published in the journal Memory. A memory benefit has been observed from hearing onself. Better memory benefits have been observed from reading aloud oneself than from simply hearing another person read aloud. So don't be concerned if someone else thinks it's strange if they hear you reading something aloud to yourself because this after all may be helping you remember things better.
