In the language of psychology, this means I am a conscious being, someone who thinks rather than reacts. Someone who takes in her surroundings and processes that information, milling it over in the mind, thinking about it.

It also means I am self-aware. I know myself, know I exist and know I am a separate from others.

According to anthropologists, many animals have a kind of consciousness, but only humans and the great apes are self-conscious. Apparently, the big and complex brains of humans and apes, which may have evolved for other tasks, blossomed with an added sense of self.

We know that humans are self-conscious because we can talk to our inner selves, but how do researchers know apes are also self-conscious?

In an existential way, apes seem to be aware of their existence, like people.

We daydream while making dinner. We listen to the radio while stuck in traffic. We drink, take drugs, read books and watch movies, all ways to push consciousness and self-awareness to the side.