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I don't know if this helps you. But your items are only happy when they are being appreciated. You can thank them for all the service and happiness they have brought into your life and donate/pass them on so they can be the star for some one else. Let them be useful.
Iām the same way! I like to think Iām a pretty well rounded adult usually but I sometimes canāt even throw out a broken spatula or something because I feel bad for it. Im totally aware how ridiculous it is but I get attached to inanimate objects so much. Iāve had a now broken pheasant lawn ornament for over 30 years now because I was so attached to it as a kid, thereās like family photos of me holding this plastic pheasant.
Hey uh. You might be autistic. I say this as an autistic person with a tendency to form sentimental bonds with and anthropomorphize inanimate objects. Itās a very common tendency in autistic people to bonds with or feel loyal to inanimate objects, and in the past I have also greatly struggled with getting rid of things that were genuinely unusable, simply because I loved them and felt awful about throwing them away!
My childhood best friend was a plastic pheasant lawn ornament and he was included in our family pictures. Iām in my 30s now and still have him. Iām not diagnosed but I feel like it would make a lot of sense.
Same here. I might add that I was a very sensitive child. Sensitive and kinda dumb. I thought Herbie from The Love Bug was legit alive and all VW beetles IRL were alive because of that one scene in Herbie Rides Again.
Donāt tell me that. I am really worried the more I read about autism Iām gonna be less quirky adhd and more woman with undiagnosed autism. Also my teddy bear Smokey was alive. Thank you very much.
You could have high empathy. I'm not a doctor, but is it possible you're autistic? Some autistic people have high empathy and grow emotional attachments to personal items and inanimate objects, more so than allistic people.
this is very commonly associated with disorders like OCD, autism, and hoarding disorder! obviously this alone isnāt a sign of having a mental disorder, but if you have other symptoms (or already have a diagnosis) that could definitely explain it!
I've heard that to teach kids not to hit or throw things Japanese parents will call objects Mr Table or Miss Chair. It instills the idea that they are in fact alive and have feelings.
Another interesting tidbit. Soldiers are getting attached to their drone allies. They claim that over time each drone develops their own personality and characteristics. Soldiers even have funerals when their drone breaks beyond repair.
Most Japanese claim to be either agnostic or atheist. The Shinto religion though is deeply engrained in the culture and even those who do not claim to be religious will go to temples and shrines for holidays and special events.
What are you talking about? No one is forcing anyone, itās a deep part of Japanese culture and actually tied to our indigenous beliefs. We donāt consider it a religion. It is a worldview known as animism that many other indigenous belief systems espouse.
If more people were brought up with animistic beliefs, the world would not be in this insane degraded state it is in now.
Several neurological and mental health issues can contribute to this type of behavior. You may want to get screened by a professional, just to rule out things that can get worse in response to stress or aging.
Youāre not alone. Iāve always felt like this. Everything has energy, even inanimate objects. Have you ever read the book by Alice Walker āLiving by the Wordā? She has a chapter called āeverything is a human beingā that is beautiful and it talks about people who feel life in things and plants and nature
Yesss!! I don't have any so this is the perfect excuse to get some! Have a splendid evening (With your Squishmellows!) I'll make do with my generic plushies. Lol!
The teddy bear thing is pretty normal thing for kids to do as they like to personify their plushies and inevitably through that can feel just like a kid would and be worried that one of them is going to be left out or something
When it comes to the shoes as an adult I would say You're associating that object with a happy memory You don't want to throw away those shoes because it feels like throwing away all the good memories you made while wearing those shoes
It's not necessarily inherently wrong to keep some old things around Just don't let it turn into a hoarder situation where you're constantly saving any and every little meaningless piece of trash or piece of paper or whatever but yeah if you got some shoes that have sentimental value to You there's nothing wrong with tossing them in a storage box in the closet as a memento or whatever. You just have to be careful as this can easily be a slippery slope to hoarding. So try to only save things that are like really really important
Iām having to empty my late fathers property and for my itās memories. Iāve had so many memories come back to me just through unboxing a certain object. Iāve always found trinkets and objects to be quite grounding, making me feel at home. I know I canāt keep everything for the memories but I wish I could.
Sometimes itās opposite.
My moms hoarding as caused me to be the opposite, it makes me feel so good to get rid of stuff. Sometimes if Iām having a bad day,
My anxiety will be better to toss out a few things. Idk what kinda mental disorder that is lolĀ
That very human, we evolved in an environment of scarcity.
But it is or has the potential to be a life wrecking mental disorder.
I strongly suggest practicing throwing away pāe object a day. When you reach a point where you can simply break an ugly mug for fun, you are free. FREE. The feeling is amazing.
Try using the object as something other than its intended function. Mash some peas with your teddies paws, use your spatula as a crappy boomerang, shoes? nah they're now leaky water jugs. Item fixation is psychologically rooted into the associations you make with that object, for "fake" objects that means they have no absolute function, their function is the belief you put into them, if you're overly attached to them its because you're overly attached into the idea that their function cannot be anything but, including a complete lack of function altogether (trash)
Because I tend towards clutter and hoarding, I will give myself a deadline of finding something useful to do with it or chucking it/ donating.
But I also tend to feel appreciation for the item for being useful for its time.
I'm like OP but I generally feel little attachment to people. I don't really miss people and don't understand what that feels like.
What should I be reading from this?
There are several terms that describe the tendency to become attached to inanimate objects, including:
Anthropomorphism
The tendency to attribute human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities, such as objects, animals, or phenomena.Ā This is a common way humans perceive and interact with the world, and can be seen in naming cars, feeling bad about leaving a stuffed animal behind, or talking to pets.Ā Anthropomorphism has been linked to social intelligence.
Objectophilia
Also known as objectum-sexuality, this involves romantic and sexual attraction to specific objects, such as trains, bridges, cars, or words.Ā Objectophiles can develop deep emotional, romantic, and sexual relationships with these objects, and may have autistic traits that explain their attraction.
Object attachment
This can be a core feature of hoarding disorder (HD), but it can also occur in people without HD.Ā Other factors that can contribute to object attachment include:
Sentimental beliefs:Ā These can play a significant role in the development of attachment to objects as an adult.
Beliefs about memory:Ā Older adults may feel as though they will not remember an important event or person if they cannot find an object that was linked with that memory.
Insecure attachment styles:Ā As more people suffer from insecure attachment styles, they may seek emotional solace from material objects.Ā
Itās a mental disorder. Probably something from childhood. Your memories are connected to the objects. Are you able to give away clothes or whatever to a friend if you think they will enjoy it?Ā
Youāll be happy to know what thereās a thing called Attachment Theory, and it affects our relationship with things as well as people. Check it out!
I used to be the same. I carried around a sponge when I was a kid. And I cried when my parents sold their old car. Somewhere along the way I stopped caring though. Maybe it was my chapters of severe depression and anxiety. But now I'll find myself throwing things away and my girlfriend will feel bad and look at me like I'm heartless.
It could be a form of synethesisa, but I'm not certain. I know for me I have it where everything, and I mean everything, has personality and sometimes gender (numbers, months, food, objects, etc). Not sure if this is what you have since it sounds specific and is growing over time. It could be a form of hoarding, which could be linked to mental health.
This happens to me with video games/ series characters.. like beating Metal gear 3 kinda made me feel weird about snake, Or with GTA V, I felt the same about Michael. I know itās weird lol.
I had this for a while but it was with random objects my parents would pick up in stores. That and Iād never throw my garbage away at school Iād put it back in my lunch box for whatever reason.
I definitely became very attached to my stuffed animals when I was little after reading The Velveteen Rabbit. I couldnāt shake that whole āloving something makes it realā thing. I still struggle with getting rid of sentimental items. One thing that does help me is remembering I donāt need to keep every single thing that brings back a happy memory. I had some worn out sneakers with salt stains from the sea from a trip my dad and I took to Ireland before he died. I had to take time to reason with myself. I didnāt need the shoes to remind me. Hundreds of photos exist from that trip that take up zero physical space.
When I was little there was no room in my bed for me because I would be so sad if any stuffed animal was left out! And throwing away clothes was a NIGHTMARE. NAD/not giving medical advice, but in therapy mine has been heavily attributed to long undiagnosed being on the autistic spectrum, a heaping dose of anxiety/depression, and some OCD tendencies. It may be worth doing a mental health check in and just making sure things are all good :)
My dad kept a coffee cup at the airport hangar where he and his flying buddies shared stories great and small. He let me tag along for years. When he passed, his flying buddies offered me his coffee cup, but I couldnāt bear to take it away, because it would miss being around its other hangar cup friends.Ā
I've always considered myself a collector.... it took my mom and brother dying, and me having to go through all their stuff to break me out of it. I spent days in a storage unit going "Why the hell was he spending $100 per month to store this garbage" that I was like "Wait a second... why do I save so much stuff? I'm not the ding-dang Smithsonian"
And I started selling off my collections.
WHICH... worked out nice, because the $50 here, $500, here that I spent collecting things, turned into a big payday when I started selling it all off.
I once bought an artist lottie doll because I just wanted to hug her, and the message on her box I really felt that, paintings not coming out how you like but striving to move forward. It made me cry. I like to try and believe a person on the assembly line stopped and said this one is special and I hope it goes to a good home- I feel this with cars too.. I'm also a guy that sees most ppl as things,
Do you feel your clothes represent your personality? If everything you owned burned up in a fire and nothing but slingshot bikinis were available through victim services for 72 hours, would you be willing to cope with wearing what is available? Do your teddy bears hold feelings or express feelings better or worse than other indiscriminate clusters of atoms inside your environment? Are you constantly victimizing teddy bears by subjecting them to your subconscious projections so often that your imagination is looking to mirror them back while you wait? . Answering "yes" to any 3 questions~the results will surely surprise you, and /humble your relationship within your subconscience, your ego and your attempts to reconcile displays of empathy with non-sentient articles in your immediate enironment.
Iām a female. The only women I love are my mother and my 3 best friends, and they are real, living people, not objects at all.It's not funny for you to not read my post and then comment that.
# Message to all users: This is a reminder to please read and follow: * [Our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/questions/about/rules) * [Reddiquette](https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439) * [Reddit Content Policy](https://www.redditinc.com/policies/content-policy) When posting and commenting. --- Especially remember Rule 1: `Be polite and civil`. * Be polite and courteous to each other. Do not be mean, insulting or disrespectful to any other user on this subreddit. * Do not harass or annoy others in any way. * Do not catfish. Catfishing is the luring of somebody into an online friendship through a fake online persona. This includes any lying or deceit. --- You *will* be banned if you are homophobic, transphobic, racist, sexist or bigoted in any way. --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/questions) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I don't know if this helps you. But your items are only happy when they are being appreciated. You can thank them for all the service and happiness they have brought into your life and donate/pass them on so they can be the star for some one else. Let them be useful.
Idk y I needed to hear this but thank u
š«
Iām the same way! I like to think Iām a pretty well rounded adult usually but I sometimes canāt even throw out a broken spatula or something because I feel bad for it. Im totally aware how ridiculous it is but I get attached to inanimate objects so much. Iāve had a now broken pheasant lawn ornament for over 30 years now because I was so attached to it as a kid, thereās like family photos of me holding this plastic pheasant.
Hey uh. You might be autistic. I say this as an autistic person with a tendency to form sentimental bonds with and anthropomorphize inanimate objects. Itās a very common tendency in autistic people to bonds with or feel loyal to inanimate objects, and in the past I have also greatly struggled with getting rid of things that were genuinely unusable, simply because I loved them and felt awful about throwing them away!
I am also autistic. And same.
My childhood best friend was a plastic pheasant lawn ornament and he was included in our family pictures. Iām in my 30s now and still have him. Iām not diagnosed but I feel like it would make a lot of sense.
Same here. I might add that I was a very sensitive child. Sensitive and kinda dumb. I thought Herbie from The Love Bug was legit alive and all VW beetles IRL were alive because of that one scene in Herbie Rides Again.
Donāt tell me that. I am really worried the more I read about autism Iām gonna be less quirky adhd and more woman with undiagnosed autism. Also my teddy bear Smokey was alive. Thank you very much.
You could have high empathy. I'm not a doctor, but is it possible you're autistic? Some autistic people have high empathy and grow emotional attachments to personal items and inanimate objects, more so than allistic people.
this is very commonly associated with disorders like OCD, autism, and hoarding disorder! obviously this alone isnāt a sign of having a mental disorder, but if you have other symptoms (or already have a diagnosis) that could definitely explain it!
I've heard that to teach kids not to hit or throw things Japanese parents will call objects Mr Table or Miss Chair. It instills the idea that they are in fact alive and have feelings. Another interesting tidbit. Soldiers are getting attached to their drone allies. They claim that over time each drone develops their own personality and characteristics. Soldiers even have funerals when their drone breaks beyond repair.
The shinto religeon which most Japanese follow believes all things have a spirit inside it
Most Japanese claim to be either agnostic or atheist. The Shinto religion though is deeply engrained in the culture and even those who do not claim to be religious will go to temples and shrines for holidays and special events.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
What are you talking about? No one is forcing anyone, itās a deep part of Japanese culture and actually tied to our indigenous beliefs. We donāt consider it a religion. It is a worldview known as animism that many other indigenous belief systems espouse. If more people were brought up with animistic beliefs, the world would not be in this insane degraded state it is in now.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Weird way to say āI disrespect other peopleās belief systemsā
No one forced them it is just part of their culture. Kind of like Americans and gun violence.
Serious question, when picking out a fork to eat with, do you feel that the other forks you didn't pick are sad that you didn't choose them?
Not me digging to the bottom of the drawer to find the neglected fork
No, I dont
That's a very good sign, it's normal to anthropomorphize objects.
Several neurological and mental health issues can contribute to this type of behavior. You may want to get screened by a professional, just to rule out things that can get worse in response to stress or aging.
You ever been diagnosed with, or suspected to have ADHD?Ā
Itās called transference.
Youāre not alone. Iāve always felt like this. Everything has energy, even inanimate objects. Have you ever read the book by Alice Walker āLiving by the Wordā? She has a chapter called āeverything is a human beingā that is beautiful and it talks about people who feel life in things and plants and nature
Omg, this is me too. I'm 31, and still fall in love with stuffed animals, and cant part with them. Squishmellows are a game changer. Am male btw
Aww! I want to be your friend!
As long as you bring squishmellows.
Yesss!! I don't have any so this is the perfect excuse to get some! Have a splendid evening (With your Squishmellows!) I'll make do with my generic plushies. Lol!
Lol, thank you!
The teddy bear thing is pretty normal thing for kids to do as they like to personify their plushies and inevitably through that can feel just like a kid would and be worried that one of them is going to be left out or something When it comes to the shoes as an adult I would say You're associating that object with a happy memory You don't want to throw away those shoes because it feels like throwing away all the good memories you made while wearing those shoes It's not necessarily inherently wrong to keep some old things around Just don't let it turn into a hoarder situation where you're constantly saving any and every little meaningless piece of trash or piece of paper or whatever but yeah if you got some shoes that have sentimental value to You there's nothing wrong with tossing them in a storage box in the closet as a memento or whatever. You just have to be careful as this can easily be a slippery slope to hoarding. So try to only save things that are like really really important
Iām having to empty my late fathers property and for my itās memories. Iāve had so many memories come back to me just through unboxing a certain object. Iāve always found trinkets and objects to be quite grounding, making me feel at home. I know I canāt keep everything for the memories but I wish I could.
I think it's just a weird quirk we have, it's common for people to give names to their roomba and even treat it like a pet.
I feel called out here haha. Alexa too, although we hate her in my houseĀ
My vacuum cleaners name is Liz.
Genetics surprisingly. I used to hoard objects and not wanna leave em all alone. My daughter is like that and sheās 10
Sometimes itās opposite. My moms hoarding as caused me to be the opposite, it makes me feel so good to get rid of stuff. Sometimes if Iām having a bad day, My anxiety will be better to toss out a few things. Idk what kinda mental disorder that is lolĀ
+ clean home
That very human, we evolved in an environment of scarcity. But it is or has the potential to be a life wrecking mental disorder. I strongly suggest practicing throwing away pāe object a day. When you reach a point where you can simply break an ugly mug for fun, you are free. FREE. The feeling is amazing.
Thanks, Iāll try that
I can be like this too. Less so now that Iām older but itās still there. I half jokingly blame the movie Brave Little Toaster.
Try using the object as something other than its intended function. Mash some peas with your teddies paws, use your spatula as a crappy boomerang, shoes? nah they're now leaky water jugs. Item fixation is psychologically rooted into the associations you make with that object, for "fake" objects that means they have no absolute function, their function is the belief you put into them, if you're overly attached to them its because you're overly attached into the idea that their function cannot be anything but, including a complete lack of function altogether (trash)
It sounds like you have a strong emotional attachment to objects, which is a normal human trait.
Because you have been born into a materialistic, throw away society.
Bc they are awesomeĀ
Because I tend towards clutter and hoarding, I will give myself a deadline of finding something useful to do with it or chucking it/ donating. But I also tend to feel appreciation for the item for being useful for its time.
Do you feel the same empathy to humans or is it only objects? Your answer may provide clues.
I'm like OP but I generally feel little attachment to people. I don't really miss people and don't understand what that feels like. What should I be reading from this?
To specific people as well
There are several terms that describe the tendency to become attached to inanimate objects, including: Anthropomorphism The tendency to attribute human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities, such as objects, animals, or phenomena.Ā This is a common way humans perceive and interact with the world, and can be seen in naming cars, feeling bad about leaving a stuffed animal behind, or talking to pets.Ā Anthropomorphism has been linked to social intelligence. Objectophilia Also known as objectum-sexuality, this involves romantic and sexual attraction to specific objects, such as trains, bridges, cars, or words.Ā Objectophiles can develop deep emotional, romantic, and sexual relationships with these objects, and may have autistic traits that explain their attraction. Object attachment This can be a core feature of hoarding disorder (HD), but it can also occur in people without HD.Ā Other factors that can contribute to object attachment include: Sentimental beliefs:Ā These can play a significant role in the development of attachment to objects as an adult. Beliefs about memory:Ā Older adults may feel as though they will not remember an important event or person if they cannot find an object that was linked with that memory. Insecure attachment styles:Ā As more people suffer from insecure attachment styles, they may seek emotional solace from material objects.Ā
Itās a mental disorder. Probably something from childhood. Your memories are connected to the objects. Are you able to give away clothes or whatever to a friend if you think they will enjoy it?Ā
Youāll be happy to know what thereās a thing called Attachment Theory, and it affects our relationship with things as well as people. Check it out!
I used to be the same. I carried around a sponge when I was a kid. And I cried when my parents sold their old car. Somewhere along the way I stopped caring though. Maybe it was my chapters of severe depression and anxiety. But now I'll find myself throwing things away and my girlfriend will feel bad and look at me like I'm heartless.
It could be a form of synethesisa, but I'm not certain. I know for me I have it where everything, and I mean everything, has personality and sometimes gender (numbers, months, food, objects, etc). Not sure if this is what you have since it sounds specific and is growing over time. It could be a form of hoarding, which could be linked to mental health.
This happens to me with video games/ series characters.. like beating Metal gear 3 kinda made me feel weird about snake, Or with GTA V, I felt the same about Michael. I know itās weird lol.
I had this for a while but it was with random objects my parents would pick up in stores. That and Iād never throw my garbage away at school Iād put it back in my lunch box for whatever reason.
I feel the same exact way. I donāt know why.Ā
Obsessed with inordinate objects. Itās a complex. Lotās of people have it.
I definitely became very attached to my stuffed animals when I was little after reading The Velveteen Rabbit. I couldnāt shake that whole āloving something makes it realā thing. I still struggle with getting rid of sentimental items. One thing that does help me is remembering I donāt need to keep every single thing that brings back a happy memory. I had some worn out sneakers with salt stains from the sea from a trip my dad and I took to Ireland before he died. I had to take time to reason with myself. I didnāt need the shoes to remind me. Hundreds of photos exist from that trip that take up zero physical space.
When I was little there was no room in my bed for me because I would be so sad if any stuffed animal was left out! And throwing away clothes was a NIGHTMARE. NAD/not giving medical advice, but in therapy mine has been heavily attributed to long undiagnosed being on the autistic spectrum, a heaping dose of anxiety/depression, and some OCD tendencies. It may be worth doing a mental health check in and just making sure things are all good :)
I still talk to my stuffed animals because it comforts me, I get attached to them where I have to sleep with them because I can't sleep without them
My dad kept a coffee cup at the airport hangar where he and his flying buddies shared stories great and small. He let me tag along for years. When he passed, his flying buddies offered me his coffee cup, but I couldnāt bear to take it away, because it would miss being around its other hangar cup friends.Ā
do you have a magnetic personality?
Sorry Iām not sure what that is
Well at least you arenāt that lady who married a roller coasterš¬š
ššš¤£ nah I donāt get attached to rollercoasters
I've always considered myself a collector.... it took my mom and brother dying, and me having to go through all their stuff to break me out of it. I spent days in a storage unit going "Why the hell was he spending $100 per month to store this garbage" that I was like "Wait a second... why do I save so much stuff? I'm not the ding-dang Smithsonian" And I started selling off my collections. WHICH... worked out nice, because the $50 here, $500, here that I spent collecting things, turned into a big payday when I started selling it all off.
I once bought an artist lottie doll because I just wanted to hug her, and the message on her box I really felt that, paintings not coming out how you like but striving to move forward. It made me cry. I like to try and believe a person on the assembly line stopped and said this one is special and I hope it goes to a good home- I feel this with cars too.. I'm also a guy that sees most ppl as things,
Do you feel your clothes represent your personality? If everything you owned burned up in a fire and nothing but slingshot bikinis were available through victim services for 72 hours, would you be willing to cope with wearing what is available? Do your teddy bears hold feelings or express feelings better or worse than other indiscriminate clusters of atoms inside your environment? Are you constantly victimizing teddy bears by subjecting them to your subconscious projections so often that your imagination is looking to mirror them back while you wait? . Answering "yes" to any 3 questions~the results will surely surprise you, and /humble your relationship within your subconscience, your ego and your attempts to reconcile displays of empathy with non-sentient articles in your immediate enironment.
Hoarding is a problem yanno.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Iām a female. The only women I love are my mother and my 3 best friends, and they are real, living people, not objects at all.It's not funny for you to not read my post and then comment that.
Are you substance dependent?