This article was co-authored by Joseph Phillips and by How.com.vn staff writer, Janice Tieperman. Joseph Phillips, MSW is a Clinical Therapist and Social Worker at Transformative Growth Counseling, which is based in Illinois and Florida. He specializes in relationship and attachment therapy and treats anxiety, depression, trauma, and substance use. He earned a Master of Social Work from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and he completed his clinical internship with Transformative Growth Counseling. Joseph is also certified in disaster and collective trauma counseling.
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What do the scent of a candle, a cozy sweater, and a cat-shaped coffee mug all have in common? To some people, all of these items could trigger specific feelings like happiness, comfort, and relaxation. We all make emotional associations with inanimate items without realizing it, but it’s totally possible to forge these connections intentionally, too. Read on to take a psychological deep dive into an emotional attachment to objects—and learn how to add a little more depth and emotional weight to your daily life in the process.
Things You Should Know
- Use your senses to attribute specific emotions to specific items. For example, you might associate lavender soap with relaxation after taking a soothing bath with it.
- View an item in a more positive context to change the existing feeling that you associate with it.
- Personify objects with human pronouns (he/she/they) to create a deeper connection with certain items.
- Add emotional motivators (like a desire for independence) to your marketing campaigns to build a stronger emotional connection with customers.
Steps
Expert Q&A
Tips
- Ready to take your emotional associations to the next level? Try adding different items that trigger the same emotion to a single space/nook. For example, if you associate a lavender candle, cozy blanket, and thick socks with the feelings of comfort and relaxation, you might light a lavender candle, wear some cozy socks, and snuggle under a blanket whenever you’re in your bedroom.Thanks
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you'd like to learn more about attachment theory, check out our in-depth interview with Joseph Phillips.
References
- ↑ https://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/1142070/why-objects-make-us-happy/
- ↑ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-smells-trigger-memories1/
- ↑ https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/Pages/Transitional-Objects.aspx
- ↑ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1751696X.2018.1433355
- ↑ https://bridgetwebber.medium.com/the-magic-of-linking-objects-with-emotions-6db6b8517fd7
- ↑ https://centerhealthyminds.org/feature/neuroplasticity
- ↑ https://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/1142070/why-objects-make-us-happy/
- ↑ https://bridgetwebber.medium.com/the-magic-of-linking-objects-with-emotions-6db6b8517fd7
- ↑ https://daily.jstor.org/personification-is-your-friend-the-amazing-life-of-letters/
- ↑ https://hbr.org/2015/11/the-new-science-of-customer-emotions
- ↑ https://www.entrepreneur.com/growing-a-business/5-ways-to-get-to-the-heart-of-emotional-marketing/297367
- ↑ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X20300213
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17682-hoarding-disorder
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