Inanimate love

[Arkhangelsk]

A question that just occurred. Why do we develop feelings for inanimate objects? They don't listen, talk back to us or convince you that the girl/boy you dated was a *****/jerk. So why do we develop feelings for possessions with no feelings or movement, like teddy bears, shoes, guitars (I'll confess to the last one)?

 

[Smack-Ferret]

I don't really know. I guess humans just like to always have something that's theirs close to them.

 

[Katherine Kerensky]

Probably because of the exact reasons you listed

Seriously, It's probably because you had to work hard to get it. You put a part of yourself into it.

 

[kryptik102]

Because we get lonely.
Everyone does.
Then they pick up something that is very dear to them (probably because it has alot of sentimental value) and talk to it.
Iunno.
I'm just guessing.

 

[Cargando]

[sub/]Or the companion cube...[/sub]

It's because we embed our personalities onto those objects, thus connecting with them.

 

[Deacon Cole]

A question that just occurred. Why do we develop feelings for inanimate objects? They don't listen, talk back to us or convince you that the girl/boy you dated was a *****/jerk. So why do we develop feelings for possessions with no feelings or movement, like teddy bears, shoes, guitars (I'll confess to the last one)?

Well, you're talking about emotions here and by and large, emotions are irrational. Once I learned this, a whole area of human behavior made a whole lot of sense. So, no, it doesn't make sense to form emotional attachments to, well, anything or anyone. But we do it anyway and we enjoy doing it, it seems, even when it's painful. It doesn't make sense and I don't think it's supposed to.

Evolutionarily, it makes some sense. We form emotional bonds because survival is easier if we work together. Emotional bond to objects also makes sense in this light because if you find a bit of flint that makes a good knife, you don't just leave it behind when you're done with it. You take it with you. It was a useful tool and being compelled to keep it allows you to continue to make use of it. And this behavior is still with us today even though finding new and likely better tools is piss-easy compared to back then.

This behavior can also backfire when the tool wears out and is no longer useful. How many of your socks have holes in them?

So it is an irrational emotional behavior that is likely a product of evolution when groups who were compelled to hold onto useful tools fared better than those who did not.

 

[historybuff]

When something does good by us--we like it. Even if it can't like us back.

 

[ghalkhsdkssakgh]

Because they promised not to stab me.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Every human being is alone. So we find things that take our mind of our lonelieness. Like the internet.

 

[Noamuth]

It's comforting, and we get lonely sometimes.

 

[Proteus214]

Who needs inanimate objects when you have the internet?!

 

[cas]

It's sentiment. You don't actually have feelings for an inanimate object (I hope) just what that object represents, the inscribed feelings

 

[ssgt splatter]

Probably because of the exact reasons you listed

Seriously, It's probably because you had to work hard to get it. You put a part of yourself into it.

What he said. You know, sentimental value.

 

[pipboy2010]

It's sentiment. You don't actually have feelings for an inanimate object (I hope) just what that object represents, the inscribed feelings

This, except that occasionally people do actually fall in love with inanimate objects. Like that woman who married the Eiffel Tower.

But generally it's just sentiment. As a rule we tend to anthropomorphisise things and apply human characteristics to things because, well, that's how we see the world, through our human viewpoint. And then we grow attached to them.

 

[The Infamous Scamola]

Well, sometimes it can just be that we like those things very much, due to personal preference or money spent.

Other times, those objects remind us of a past time in our lives or person dear to us that might not be there anymore. What I'm saying is, it's not the object itself we love, it's the feelings and memories it brings back to us.

 

[Diablini]

They are still there for you. You remember when you won that teddy bear. Or your first gig with that guitar, or the day them kicked you out of the band.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Memories, and the reasons you listed. For example, I've had my bass for a few years, played gigs with it, it's never done anything wrong, and if there was a whole big enough, I'd put my dick in it so I love it more than my family (slight exaggeration. But only slight).

 

[Silver Scribbler]

Because you project a personality on to it, or associate it with a certain emotion. And the fact that it'll always be there.

 

[AvsJoe]

When an inanimate object serves its purpose and does it well, I develop a want to keep it with me. For instance, I've been using the same dog blanket for three years and six moves now because it keeps me warm but it's still fluffy and malleable. I love my blanket.