# Can you convince yourself that you are you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 10, 2023, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904 "2023-09-10T23:56:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/61 "2023-09-13T01:38:23Z")
I can do it if I pull up a bad dream from childhood, lol. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/62 "2023-09-13T02:27:00Z")
When I was quite young (before age 6 because the memory is from the first house I lived in) there was some kind of TV or radio commercial that advertised an outdoor paint or varnish. There was a little jingle in the ad that went “Water on wood … uh uh no good.” To my young mind it meant something really bad would happen which I had to see. So I went into the basement where my mom kept the ironing board in the laundry room. I got a piece of wood and I used the little bottle she sued to sprinkle water on the clothes to be ironed. I sprinkled some on and hurried back. To my disappointment nothing happened. I’ve never told anyone this story before so I think it would convince old me. Now of course I have told others so I guess I’m stuck going forward. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/63 "2023-09-14T15:12:04Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > You can use all 1000 characters to write something that only you could possibly know, or in other some way convince past-you that the message comes from you and no one else. Can you do it? Yes. In 30 words or so. Starting with “The body is…” That’s all I’ll say here. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/64 "2023-09-14T15:30:56Z")
Yeah, I could do it. “Remember in metals class when you found a bag of weed on the floor and stuck it in your sock?” ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/65 "2023-09-14T15:31:19Z")
> [@Ynnad](#): > > I could not do it. My past self from 10 years ago could not be convinced that time travel to the past was possible. My past self would attribute the purported message from the future to be the result of an elaborate ruse, mental illness, or hallucinations. I agree with this. The question isn’t whether there are things I could tell myself that nobody else could possibly know. That part is easy. The question is whether that would be sufficient to convince me that this message came from the future. It wouldn’t, I would think I was having some kind of mental breakdown. But perhaps that’s fighting the hypothetical, OP wasn’t completely clear on this. Are we to assume that we already know that such messaging from the future is possible, and it’s just a question of whether we could distinguish our real selves from the impostors? ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/66 "2023-09-14T22:17:01Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > I think it’s time you tell us what it is. You’ll feel better when you do. We’re listening. Maybe it’s time. I have three heads, but two of them are invisible. Seriously, if there is something I have kept secret for 80 years, do you think I’m about to publish it now? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/67 "2023-09-16T11:33:53Z")
I think I could do it. I can recall many incidents, since childhood, where I was just about to voice the most stupid, innocent, but embarrassing question, and only realised just in time that it would be a stupid and embarrassing question. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/68 "2023-09-16T12:48:36Z")
Ah, if only I had realized in time. ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/69 "2023-09-16T12:53:14Z")
My take on this, now, is that anyone who can remember dumb thoughts they had as little kids (and I have hundreds of them) that they thankfully kept to themselves–which I believe is “Most everyone”-- could perform this not-so-difficult feat, several times over. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/70 "2023-09-16T13:25:09Z")
No problem whatsoever. I can describe a dream I had, or a video game idea say. Although in both cases I have written these things down (yep, I sometimes record my dreams), I can easily think of some additional details I never wrote down. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2023, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/71 "2023-10-06T11:04:57Z")
nowadays I have a hard time convincing myself that “i-am-myself” when looking into the mirror after getting up seems it comes built in with age 😉 ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2023, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/72 "2023-10-08T17:34:47Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > nowadays I have a hard time convincing myself that “i-am-myself” when looking into the mirror after getting up You look in a mirror? Well, there’s your problem. I avoid them. Nothing I can do about it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904.md?page=3)