# When you talk to yourself in the mirror, how do you address yourself? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 28, 2010, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073 "2010-05-28T15:10:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073/21 "2010-05-28T19:05:38Z")
For me it is a mixture of “you” and “I”, with “you” being more prevalent. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073/22 "2010-05-28T19:10:52Z")
“Your Excellency.” So, second-person singular, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073/23 "2010-05-28T19:11:21Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > I thought only crazy people and Sims talked to themselves in mirrors. Hey, did she just call you crazy? I think she did. No, she said she \*thought \*only crazy people talked to themselves in mirrors; she could be acknowledging that this previously held information is wrong. Yeah, do you think that’s it? So what if she thinks you’re crazy. Yeah, I’m not crazy. I’m sure other people talk to themselves, too. Hey, how do you know she’s a she? I dunno, that’s just the gender I assigned for some reason. Oh, okay. Cool. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073/24 "2010-05-28T19:24:57Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever talked to myself in a mirror. I have exclaimed things like, “Oh my god I look like shit today!” but that’s just saying stuff out loud. Not that I don’t talk to myself. Just don’t spend much time in front of mirrors is all. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073/25 "2010-05-28T19:28:00Z")
I don’t either. Just so we’re clear, I don’t get all “Taxi Driver” with it, but I tend to groom in front of the mirror, and typically I make commentary to myself on how I’m doing. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073/26 "2010-05-28T19:37:59Z")
Oh yeah, there’s the cats to bounce things off of. And sometimes I run ideas past them, too! {rimshot} 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073/27 "2010-05-28T20:18:51Z")
I voted second person, but I don’t very often talk out loud to myself, in the mirror or otherwise. It’s an internal dialogue unless I’m very pissed off and haranguing myself. Even if I actually think I look good (which is sadly rare), I don’t tell me so out loud. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073/28 "2010-05-28T20:19:41Z")
nope, I don’t ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073/29 "2010-05-28T22:32:36Z")
I can’t recall ever talking to myself in a _mirror_ specifically, but I do talk to myself all the time in general. Like, “okay, what do I have to do today? Well, I have to clean the kitchen, and return the DVDs to the library…” I find that saying it aloud helps me clarify my thoughts. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073/30 "2010-05-28T22:35:20Z")
Talking about speaking out loud to yourself, I find that if I say something to myself out loud three times, I’m almost guaranteed to remember it (like **Kyla’s** example - “Take dvds back. Take dvds back. Take dvds back.”). Any ideas why this might work? ---
**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:** [May 28, 2010, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073/31 "2010-05-28T22:47:18Z")
Wait – two people use first-person _plural_? Whoever you are, please reveal yourselves, so that I might kneel when I post in your presence. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073/32 "2010-05-28T22:55:23Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Just so we’re clear, I don’t get all “Taxi Driver” with it If you did, how would you answer the poll? “Are you looking at me?” isn’t really covered in the options. ---
**Author:** ![Silvorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Silvorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silvorange)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073/33 "2010-05-28T23:03:02Z")
Oops, I hit the last one by accident. I meant first person plural, but really it could be that, second person, or first, depending on the situation. Come to think of it, it never involves talking to a mirror. Just internal dialogue. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073/34 "2010-05-28T23:10:45Z")
I was almost going to leave off third person plural as an option, because I’m certain no one does that, but you never know! I ask about the mirror for a reason. Sometimes I think to myself or talk to myself, and I refer to myself in a way that’s not worth noting, or one that I can’t remember. Especially when thinking, there really is no thought that takes on a person form. Even if I’m thinking about myself, and I don’t think I can explain this, I’m just thinking about me in a sort of conceptual way, but there is no “I” or “you” or anyone else. They’re just thoughts kind of floating, and they’re about me, but not. That didn’t make any sense, did it? There is internal dialogue at times, which can be first or second person, depending on which way the wind blows. Often I am speaking aloud when no one is around, as opposed to speaking _to_ myself, and it’ll be in first person. “Where the hell are my keys?!” I’ve noticed, though, that particularly in front of the mirror, it is almost always second person. “That new lip gloss looks good on you,” and the like. Edit: [QUOTE=Tapioca Dextrin] If you did, how would you answer the poll? “Are you looking at me?” isn’t really covered in the options. [/QUOTE] Ha! Error! Err-ror! ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073/35 "2010-05-29T03:28:05Z")
The only thing I’ve ever said while looking in the mirror, is to myself and not to my reflection and it’s usually along the lines of “UGH, I look like crap today”. So I guess that counts as first person then? ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073/36 "2010-05-29T03:57:51Z")
I’m not sure where “What the H311 is that?” would fit in when talking to oneself in a mirror. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073/37 "2010-05-29T04:39:30Z")
I find it weird to talk to myself or talk to others inside my head. Usually, in my head, I visualize the scene as though I’m watching it as an observer. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073/38 "2010-05-29T05:20:46Z")
You should have included the option “I don’t talk to myself in the mirror.” I don’t. I _do_ talk to myself sometimes (because I’m all crazy and stuff), but never in front of a mirror. When I do talk to myself, I speak exactly like I would if I were speaking to someone who was standing right next to me. Except there’s nobody there. But I’m still talking to myself, not an imaginary friend or something. I don’t know how to explain it better than that. 😛 I’m speaking to myself, but I’m wording it as if I’m having a conversation with someone else. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073/39 "2010-05-29T05:48:34Z")
We never talk to ourselves. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073/40 "2010-05-29T06:24:11Z")
I checked First Person Singular, but it’s a bit weirder than that. Instead of the normal accusative “me”, I for some reason use the Latin dative form “mihi”, which is completely nonsensical. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-talk-to-yourself-in-the-mirror-how-do-you-address-yourself/541073.md?page=3)