Although we all have an inner monologue that we engage in from time to time, people often refer to themselves in strikingly different ways when they engage in this introspective process. Whereas people typically use 1st person singular pronouns to refer to themselves during introspection (e.g., Why am I feeling this way?), they at times use their own name and other non-1st-person pronouns as well (e.g., Why is Ethan feeling this way or Why are you feeling this way?). In this talk I will review evidence from a multi-disciplinary line of research, which suggests that far from representing a simple quirk of speech or epiphenomenon, these linguistic shifts serve a powerful and potentially primitive self-control function, enhancing people’s ability to reason wisely and control their thoughts, feelings and behaviors under stress.