# Inanimate objects have feelings



## itsjustin (Oct 21, 2011)

This has been with me forever- the sense that people, as well as inanimate objects, have feelings. This could be a stuffed animal, to a piece of food, to a hammer. It is anything and everything.

I usually feel it most when people say things like "this food sucks" or "that is ugliest shirt I've ever seen" about said items. In my head, I turn the food and/or the shirt into a being with emotions and can picture them getting upset about being insulted. I apologize to them in my head for that person being a jerk and move on with my day.

Another thing, being a goodfreak who likes to collect stuffed animals, I feel like I need to introduce new ones to my existing collection so they all get along. I only have two on my bed but have to put them down gently on the floor when I want some extra room to myself so they don't feel rejected.

I apologize a lot to these inanimate things. It was kind of hard to put up pictures in my new apartment because I kept hurting the wall when pressing the thumbtack into it! :O


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## SapphireMeadow (Feb 8, 2011)

itsjustin said:


> ... I feel like I need to introduce new ones to my existing collection so they all get along. I only have two on my bed but have to put them down gently on the floor when I want some extra room to myself so they don't feel rejected.
> 
> I apologize a lot to these inanimate things. It was kind of hard to put up pictures in my new apartment because I kept hurting the wall when pressing the thumbtack into it! :O


OMGOSH I'm with you :O Well okay I've never thought of walls or t-shirts as having feelings, but I do with almost every other inanimate object. I often find myself associating not just feelings but even personalities with everything from stuffed animals, to toys, to my dad's truck. I avoid the toy section of any store because I feel like by just looking and then walking away the toys or stuffed animals will feel rejected and feel bad about themselves. And when I do buy something new I always introduce it to one of my other stuffed animals and ask that one to show them around, like they come to life when I leave the room or something.

In my head I know it's silly but at the same time I can't shake the feeling that these things really do have personalities and feelings. I can't help feeling really bad for them when I see little kids break a toy or just throw a stuffed animal in the trash because it's a little dirty. It breaks my heart


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## Quatermass (Oct 6, 2013)

I do this as well. Glad to know I'm not alone..

I use plastic bags from the grocery store as garbage bags, but I used to find it difficult to pick which one I would choose. A new one would feel rejected/bullied and an older one would be heartbroken over being separated from its friends... I'm mostly over that now.

I sometimes have a hard time throwing away stuff, or even parts of stuff that I own, even if I have absolutely no use for it. Like old clothes, old magazines. Or even spare buttons for pants I haven't used in years, or packaging for stuff I bought years ago. And really anything else. In the end I can usually force myself to throw things away, but it's hard. Sometimes it's because of the good old "You never know when you might need it". But quite often there is also a sense that I'm "hurting" this thing that I'm throwing away... But I'm not really a hoarder. I manage to keep my place reasonably tidy simply because I don't acquire a lot of stuff, and because I actually manage to clear things out every now and then.

Wow, that was embarrassing to admit...



> In my head I know it's silly but at the same time I can't shake the feeling that these things really do have personalities and feelings. I can't help feeling really bad for them when I see little kids break a toy or just throw a stuffed animal in the trash because it's a little dirty. It breaks my heart


Yep, I feel like that too. I can't stand seeing abandoned toys, it breaks my heart. Especially toy animals. They look so sad and lonely... I also have a love/hate relationship with abandoned places. I love looking at photos of abandoned factories and other large structures. But if I see photos of abandoned residential buildings, especially if there are personal items left behind, it just ruins the experience for me and I end up feeling sad instead...


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## Persephone The Dread (Aug 28, 2010)

I have a mild case of this, I can't get rid of soft toys and feel mild discomfort when I throw anything in the bin at times (but not enough to stop me doing things.)

It's problematic for me because I don't want to have a lot of possessions. So it's at war with certain philosophies in my mind.

Also if something seems recyclable I will go out of my way to do so. I put off making another really long walk (because I don't drive,) to recycle some books recently instead of just throwing them in the bin like my mum wanted to. Finally got rid of them all now though. It's like that alleviates guilt a little.


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## Umpalumpa (Jan 26, 2014)

It must be quite rough being a hammer then


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## The Radiant Hero (Jul 20, 2014)

Sometimes, I feel this too. Also, like Persephone said, I'd go out my way to recycle.


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## minimized (Nov 17, 2007)

I can remember being like that as a kid. That's part of the reason why I hate making decisions sometimes. Always feel like I'm going to upset someone. I don't get rid of things. I don't like things getting damaged.

I kind of feel like this is still indicative that I'm stuck in a childhood mentality.


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## East (Jul 22, 2013)

i feel this you guys

It's like I find it really weird that that microwave doesn't have feelings which sounds ridiculous but I can't seem to separate the two, because, _I _have feelings?? like existing = emotions to me. It sometimes gets in the way, but it's not so consuming that I have trouble tossing old things or w/e, I just think about it a lot. I tend to apologize to everything I bump into tho


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## EmptyEyes (Aug 25, 2014)

Is there a name for this? I'm so curious about this now. I don't feel what you all are talking about, sometimes I have a thought in my head like some object has feelings or thoughts or is judging me, but it's just an idle thought and I don't actually feel it as being true.


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## Mr Bacon (Mar 10, 2012)

It's funny, I had this really bad when I was a kid. I seem to have grown out of it.

Seems to be a form of OCD.


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## Wagnerian (Aug 5, 2014)

I don't think it's silly. I think they have feelings on some level.


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## JustThisGuy (Mar 24, 2012)

Wow. You guys have some characters. 

If you're curious, what you all are doing is a form of animism, by the by.

Also, you guys would love the show Wonderfalls. It's about a woman who solves her life problems by communicating with inanimate objects. It's a weird, fun show.


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## mattmc (Jun 27, 2013)

On one of my chairs that people basically never sit on I have a few friends sitting there together. Never verbally introduced them as I presume they're friendly. To be honest I don't name them usually either. Maybe because I have so much stuff that too start naming them would give me anxiety... and what if they have already chosen a different name that they like better?

No, the main thing is that they're not alone. Like I have two dolls that are canon best friends. Which is basically as good as them being sisters. So I figure they're fine. But like I said I presume they're all friendly so generally I don't worry about whose by who. Whether one is a plushy, plastic, or a monkey or a slice of pizza... I doubt they judge like people do.


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## Tybay (Aug 25, 2014)

I think this happens to me as well. I don't like throwing away things, even less breaking them just because. Before tearing open a package or paper wrap, I'll try all I can to get the item without breaking the paper/box.

Everything was made to have a purpose and it can keep serving it until the item is destroyed beyond recognision and is no longer able to perform its original task. Be either a bottle, a piece of gift wrap paper (which I never tear when I open a present), a box or a bag, I keep reusing them until they unvaoidably break. 
Throwing away something which isn't broken feels like an insult to the thing's purpose and to the potential uses they have left.


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## KaitlynRose (Aug 28, 2013)

itsjustin said:


> This has been with me forever- the sense that people, as well as *inanimate objects, have feelings.*


How amusing. I used to have a very similar mentality when I was a child. Well, with stuffed animals at least, not really food, clothes or the walls. I blame Toy Story for the abundance of stuffed animals I had in my room, and still even now.

In any case, I think perceiving inanimate objects as living is quite a unique outlook. I strongly suggest writing while utilizing this perception. I am certain it will prove to create quite a few creative and intriguing pieces. Writing is also relaxing if not therapeutic, of course. At least consider trying it.


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## Quatermass (Oct 6, 2013)

There is a connection between this sort of thinking and hoarding:

http://www.ocfoundation.org/hoarding/causes.aspx

From the link:



> Hoarding is a complex disorder that is believed to be associated with 4 underlying characteristics. First there are certain core vulnerabilities including emotional dysregulation in the form of depression or anxiety along with family histories of hoarding and generally high levels of perfectionism. Second, people who hoard appear to have difficulties processing information. In particular, these difficulties appear as problems in attention (including ADHD-like symptoms), memory, categorization, and decision-making. The areas of the brain that control these functions roughly correspond to the brain regions that have been shown to activate differently in people who hoard. *Third, people who hoard form intense emotional attachments to a wider variety of objects than do people who don't hoard. These attachments take the form of attaching human-like qualities to inanimate objects, feeling grief at the prospect of getting rid of objects, and deriving a sense of safety from being surrounded by possessions.* Fourth, people who hoard often hold beliefs about the necessity of not wasting objects or losing opportunities that are represented by objects. Additional beliefs about the necessity of saving things to facilitate memory and appreciation of the aesthetic beauty of objects contribute to the problem.


Quite uncomfortable to read as this entire paragraph describes me disturbingly accurate. I could easily see myself being a hoarder, at least for periods of time, if I acquired more things. I think it's the first time I feel somewhat grateful for having had little money for most of my life...


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## Lazarusx (Apr 14, 2013)

This is common in children, i remember attributing personalities to stuffed animals or holding certain emotional attachments towards inanimate objects.

Im now on the opposite end of this spectrum, where i have completely detached emotionally from objects and to a lesser degree people. I can still be empathetic with people.. but i choose to detach myself emotionally if the situation requires it.

I also own nothing but a bed, laptop and backpack. I like it.. my mind feels clearer..

Perhaps im heading towards total nihilsm.. which would actually be quite liberating in some sense


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## SapphicDysphoria (Aug 24, 2014)

Oh my god. I still do this :O
It used to be more severe when I was younger & fairly friendless though. I remember hitting tennis balls against the wall when I was 11 & actually naming and talking to them in my head. I honestly believed that if I hit the ball & it bounced off the wall in the opposite direction, the ball was mad at me. Did the same thing with a few other objects and I still keep my old stuffed animals and take them out from time to time because a small part of me believes that they get lonely. I know how stupid it sounds and I don't do it with everything, but I can't completely grow out of it. Good to know I'm not the only one >.<


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## CalculusLogi (Jul 28, 2014)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animism


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## BreakMyFall (Aug 2, 2014)

I used to feel like this when I was little but hardly any more.
I'd use all my little gel pens so the others wouldn't feel left out.

I don't pick plants at all though... probably because of the bugs, bleurgh.


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## JamesM2 (Aug 29, 2012)

If I'm shopping and choose an item to buy but then change my mind and put it back on the shelf I feel sorry for rejecting it :blank


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