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I've done this all my life. It's probably most common in children, but I'm in my mid-40s and still do it. My ex, with whom I spent almost 15 years also did this, and we both would laugh and joke about it and neither of us knew other adults who thought this way.
To anthropomorphize things is to assign or ascribe human characteristics to an object. Now, lots of us do this with animals; that's not what I'm talking about. Any pet lover anthropomorphizes their pets to some degree. I'm talking about inanimate objects.
Examples from adulthood:
--When buying Christmas ornaments that were little animals, I really only wanted two, but there were three left. I bought all three because I "couldn't leave that last one there all alone."
--I collect vintage/rustic pigs, so I'm on ebay searching "pig" a lot. Sometimes I'll buy an inexpensive little pig just because "it looked sad, like it needed a home." So I buy it and add it to my collection shelf with has tons of little pigs.
--If I'm in a store like Williams Sonoma or Bed Bath & Beyond, if I see a loose spatula or spoon or some other utensil just lying at the bottom of the wall of utensils, I "hang it back up with its friends."
--In the grocery store, if I see some stray item, like a can of Campbell's Tomato Soup, I'll take it back to where the Campbell's soup is, and put it back with its "friends" on the Tomato soup shelf.
--I have a whole set of stainless steel flatware, 12 pieces of each. I realized that one of the teaspoons is missing, and I actually had the thought "Awww, poor spoon, it's not with its family anymore."
--If I am throwing away an old pair of shoes, I tie them together so they won't get separated from each other.
Examples from my childhood:
--Stuffed animals or any object made to look like an animal had its own special place, where it could see the room, and talk to its friends
--Stuffed animals would take turns sleeping with me, so that none of them would feel neglected
--If I ever lost a toy, I would be upset, not just about me no longer having the toy, but about the toy's feelings, being lost and scared and wishing to be found.
I don't really think about the childhood examples as an adult, but I do still feel the impulse sometimes, as kind of a cute nostalgic throwback. The adulthood examples happen all the time. Now in no way do I truly believe these objects have thoughts or feelings. It's just a little impulse I get, so I buy something or move something, I guess because it makes me feel better. I remember when my boyfriend and I first met, we were both so shocked that we both had this tendency.
There must be other people who do this, even if they don't admit it to people in real life. So I guess an anonymous forum is the best place to share it!
Sometimes when I shop in the thrift store, i'll come across old porcelain cat figurines, or scattered, out-of-place army men next to the books or plates, and wonder "I wonder if the cat/army man feels sad that they're away from their tribe" haha
Most of the time no when you describe it like that.
I did name my old computer but that's because I had definitely seen signs that the computer had a persona. It would have been creepy had I not gotten used to it. I don't know if it was possessed or the one who made the computer unintentionally created a persona but it didn't matter to me either way. That old Emachine was really something
Other than that, I used to have posters in my room and I would be iffy about dressing in front of them since they were of actual people.
My husband always laughs at me because when I throw something away that we have had in our home for awhile, I say, "thank you for your ___. I wish you the best." So weird! I have anthropomorphized objects since childhood, but usually I just talk to them or give them a quick touch if I feel bad for them. I don't think I have ever bought something extra because I felt bad for it. I read that people with my personality type, INFP, tend to do this. I wonder if you are also an INFP.
My husband does this in some fashion. lol. He ascribed emotions to an old car, for years, and the kids grew up also feeling sad that the car was 'crying' in the driveway. It got so bad that when it was time for this particular car to go to the dump, we had to do it while the kids were at school.
Another time we were going out, and he went back in the house to look for a missing item we needed to take with us. He was taking forever so I came back in the house to see what was going on. He didn't hear me. I watched quietly as he found the object and while bending down to pick it up, pointed to it elaborately and said 'There you are' - in the form of a deliberate talking burp. The fact that he didn't know I was watching is the part I find hilarious.
Definitely not to the degree you explain. I will talk to things I work with a lot, but I have no issue throwing them away at the end of their life. My wife kisses food before throwing it away, as a "I'm sorry" gesture. I find that weird, but whatever, I'm weird in other ways.
My husband always laughs at me because when I throw something away that we have had in our home for awhile, I say, "thank you for your ___. I wish you the best." So weird! I have anthropomorphized objects since childhood, but usually I just talk to them or give them a quick touch if I feel bad for them. I don't think I have ever bought something extra because I felt bad for it. I read that people with my personality type, INFP, tend to do this. I wonder if you are also an INFP.
No, I'm actually an ISTJ on most tests, but sometimes INTJ. I think I must be in the middle of the N--S continuum.
Apart from my ex and myself, I've never really heard anyone else talk about doing this. However, I have known several people who anthropomorphize their cars. They give the car a nickname, or talk to it, encouraging it to start, or begging it to go farther on an empty tank. I've even known people who once in while put premium gas in their car (when they usually get Regular) and they say they wanted to "give their car a treat." Sometimes they even talk about it like a bribe: they give the car this "special treat" with the hope that the car will return he favor and "be good" or keep running longer despite a problem they know is impending.
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