We all have THAT mug, the one that’s your favorite, the one that you hope will never break. You cringe when other people drink out of it. If you have roommates, you’ve probably considered keeping it in your room and only bringing it out when you make your morning coffee.
Don’t worry, you’re not nuts – most people have THAT mug. Research shows that 60% admit they are very attached to their favorite mug, and almost 40% of us have considered hiding it from others. Wild, right?
There are several reasons we get so attached. Economist Richard Thaler was one of first to explore what he termed the “endowment effect,” a phenomenon in which humans come to regard the objects they touch as extensions of themselves. That’s why we keep trinkets and souvenirs – we tend to associate memories and feelings with inanimate things.
Your mug has probably been there for you, a warm circle to wrap your hands around, delivering you delicious coffee when you’re tired, or soothing tea when you’re sick. In this crazy, crazy world, that mug – its color, its volume, the way it fits in your hands – that mug won’t go changing on you. No wonder you don’t want anyone to touch it.
Read more about this at Psychology Today.
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