Good news, pet-lovers! You are not (completely) crazy, you are actually super smart!
Anthropomorphism is a term for the behavior that includes giving names and human minds to objects and animals.
Well, animals I can understand, but talking to objects such as pillows or cars? Hmm… not so much. However, apparently, that is also a sign of high intelligence.
“Historically, anthropomorphizing has been treated as a sign of childishness or stupidity, but it’s actually a natural byproduct of the tendency that makes humans uniquely smart on this planet. No other species has this tendency,” says Nicholas Epley, a behavioral science professor at the University of Chicago.
Well, there are 3 main reasons why someone may decide to anthropomorphize an object: the object might look to them as it has a face, they decide they want to be friends with the object, or they can’t help nor explain their unpredictable behavior, but it could be a sign of loneliness. (Take for example the best friend of Tom Hanks – a volleyball named Willson)
However, according to professor Epley, people who treat objects as humans are not delusional. Their psychological mechanisms are exactly like those in social interactions between humans.
“For centuries, our willingness to recognize minds in non-humans has been seen as a kind of stupidity, a childlike tendency toward anthropomorphism and superstition that educated and clear-thinking adults have outgrown. I think this view is both mistaken and unfortunate,” he added.
The ability and the psychological process that you need to recognize the mind of a person is the same as recognizing the mind in other objects or animals.
It is not a sign of stupidity, but a reflection of a brain’s greatest ability!
What do you think?
Image Copyright: alenkasm / 123RF Stock Photo
