Why Do People Anthropomorphize Everyday Objects?

Why do we choose to assign a gender to our car? Why do we apologize when we bump into a piece of furniture? Why do we yell at our computer when it struggles to work? Why do we give names to our toys? Though talking to inanimate objects may seem like symptoms of a deranged mind, these types of behaviours are practiced by nearly everyone. This is because of our innate human tendency for anthropomorphism: the ascription of humanlike characteristics, motivations, intentions, or emotions in nonhuman things (Grossman & Simon, 1969). While this tendency can be obvious in some cases (e.g., naming dolls, action figures), the human imagination extends anthropomorphism far beyond the humanlike. Ever notice that some cars look like they’re smiling? Do you get angry with your temperamental washing machine? Have you bumped into a store mannequin and promptly said “sorry”? Does your guitar seem free-spirited? These are all different forms of anthropomorphism.

We wanted to better understand this phenomenon, so we set out to explore why people anthropomorphize objects in their lives.

Image: Lenore Edman, Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Googly_eye_on_a_hammer.jpg