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Ask HN: Do you talk out-loud to yourself when you program?

22 points by superplussed ↗ HN
I remember in the late 90s when I got my first job as a web programmer at my University. I walked in to this basement-cave with several of out of central casting uber-nerds sitting deep in thought in front of their monitors. I remember getting myself set up and being really surprised at the cacophony of mutterings, celebrations, and chuckles that these guys emitted for no-one in particular.

I worked there for several years, but never really joined in with this behavior, maybe I didn't see myself as being uber enough to warrant this (what I thought of at the time as) autistic-like behavior.

Fast forward almost 20 years, and I do this all of the time (though admittedly not in the company of others). I'm not sure when I got into the habit of it, I think it's been the thousands of hours of development I've done by myself, where it seems to serve as a way to keep myself motivated, on-task, and in flow.

Is this something you do, and is this a unique behavior trait to developers? I can't think of any other profession where it would be socially acceptable..

21 comments

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zitterbewegung
Yes, I constantly talk to myself when I'm programming. If you want you could buy a rubber duck and try this debugging technique https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging .
tedmiston
> Many programmers have had the experience of explaining a programming problem to someone else, possibly even to someone who knows nothing about programming, and then hitting upon the solution in the process of explaining the problem.

I've definitely experienced this countless times either in trying to describe the problem to a person or in writing a question for Stack Overflow.

coralreef
It works! You make so many assumptions with your internal thought dialogue, it just becomes clear what you missed when you try to verbalize it.
mjw1007
It can be good for more than debugging, too.

If I have a difficult design problem, I imagine talking to someone smarter than I am and explaining why what they're asking me to do is impossible.

mindcrime
Yep, I do it all the time. And that's true whether or not I'm in the company of others. But then again, I also talk to myself while changing brake pads on my car, wiring circuits on breadboards at the hackerspace, cooking, etc.

At least the list doesn't (yet) include "posting on HN".

BoysenberryPi
I talk to an inanimate object or the bird on the window.
Mz
I don't think this is in any way peculiar to programmers. I am not a programmer. I used to spend a lot of time on gifted discussion lists and a phrase I used a lot back then was something like "I don't know what I think until I run it through my mouth."
nodesocket
Yes, and lately I've found myself even narrating everyday tasks a little. I do catch myself, and try to keep my inner-dialogue in my head.

I think spending hours on computers isolated daily is probably not good for long term mental health.

jbredeche
I curse a lot at the computer when things aren't working the way I want...
wizzerking
Of course I talk to my computer, there is no one else to talk to around here.
bjourne
Yes. And it is not unique to developers. Mathematicians do it all the time too.
alashley
No, for some reason people talking to themselves is irritating to me, generally speaking.

I've also had roommates and people that do it loudly and constantly so I'm a bit more sensitive to it.

RickS
At home, yes, often. At work (in an open office) absolutely not, it would be exceptionally rude and distracting for my coworkers.
mattbgates
Sometimes I will talk to myself as I write code allowed, but more often, I listen to music and I rock back and forth. It calms me and keeps me focused. Probably weird to everyone around me and may be a form of autism, but I was never diagnosed, and function even better when I'm rocking in my chair to the music.
mrmondo
Not a programmer but I write plenty of puppet DSL and scripts and if I'm on a roll I find myself regularly talking through elements / relationships within the code all the time, I think I sound like a madman to those near by.
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rajasuba
Yeah, I too do most of the times.. Stumbling the problem or the code flow in mind may be a difficult one but it becomes a lot easier when we narrate it orally!
dasmoth
Yes, if I'm alone. Definitely helps with flow, sometimes.

It's one of the bigger factors in my hatred of open offices.