1. They don't, really, though the quality currently present in 90% of them causes me to avoid that section in bookstores, and the VAST AMOUNTS of them that are checked out from the library cause me to spend at least a half-hour a day shelving them.

2. I think in third person (i.e. "She is bored with this math class" instead of "this math class is boring" or "I am bored with this math class") most of the time. From a perspective about a foot above and a few inches to the right of my right shoulder, to be precise. (That's what I picture in my head, anyway.) Does that count? Also I talk to "invisible people" when I'm trying to block out a scene in my head. With gestures. 

Great thread! I really like your questions.

As for the first one, MAJORLY. They give me something to do for one thing. I don't mind reading children' and adult books, but most of the books I read are for teens. I don't think I'd read as often, though I have no idea what else I'd do. Learn to play an instrument, maybe, or speak in a foreign language? Or both. Probably both, possibly even multiple instruments (piano, flugelhorn, French horn) and multiple foreign languages (Latin, of course, and Spanish and German and Italian and Esperanto and Middle English and Ancient Greek and Hebrew and Hindi and--er, never mind, certainly not that many, maybe just Latin and Spanish and German). I'd swim and ride my bike more often as well, so I'd be in better shapel; I might even resort to watching TV every once in a while if I was really bored... and I'd certainly listen to more music. I expect I'd know considerably more than I do now, too, because I'd read much more nonfiction. Also, fiction books can really help me understand other people better, because I have extreme trouble in that area (I am a strange person, and my mind just works a bit differently from some people's, and I have difficulty understanding why they do the things they do sometimes.), and reading gives me more experience with their minds, so it quasi-helps, but if I don't read any books about teens, I'll be completely confused when I'm a teenager and have to go to school. Oh, and I'd write more. Maybe. And my morals might not be as strong, though I seriously doubt that. In other words, I'd be quite a different person. Maybe it doesn't seem like much, but trust me, it is. And all that is if HP doesn't count as teen fiction, because that would make my life so different that it would take at least another paragraph to describe the effects.

Other Question: Hm, that's a good question. I'll have to think about it for a moment... Well... most of the reasons for my wanting to be in the stories like that really aren't relevant to my own life. The only one that is is that I would like the chance to do something really good in the world. As for whether it carries over... if I see an opportunity to do something good, I generally do it, but I must admit that I don't generally go actively looking for opportunities, and that is entirely my fault. I need to start. Thank you for bringing that up; if I actually go through with this, it could seriously make me a better person...