Why are we so attached to our things? - Christian Jarrett

View full lesson: ed.ted.com/lessons/why-are-we-...
After witnessing the “violent rage” shown by babies whenever deprived of an item they considered their own, Jean Piaget - a founding father of child psychology - observed something profound about human nature: Our sense of ownership emerges incredibly early. But why do we become so attached to things? Christian Jarrett details the psychology of ownership.
Lesson by Christian Jarrett, animation by Avi Ofer.

[@ojsimp14]

I'm attached to my money but I don't think the feeling is mutual

[@peterdue7676]

i know that feeling. Usually i dont buy anything, because i prefer to have the money. Atleast it seems like im changing a bit, and getting a bit of a ''fuck it'' attitude

[@reemasaljubab2921]

Zachary Chestnutt hhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[@ojsimp14]

Peter Due lol I put myself on a budget for Christmas this year of $300. I went way past and ended up buying $1400 worth of present because we still have a few little kids(Ages 4-9) in our family and they told me "We can't let them not have a Christmas" So I drove from Boston to Chicago, buy more presents and now I wait for my Aunts and sister to pay me back. Next year, as much as I love my cousins and nephew, they ain't getting shit from me

[@peterdue7676]

Zachary Chestnutt how many little kids do you know? Mate just give them like 3 cheap presents and theyll be happy. Kids dont care what they get, they are just happy about getting smt

[@ojsimp14]

Peter Due Not these kids. They all wanted video games, iPad and shit. I miss when I was a kid and I got basketballs, footballs, like simple shit. My sister and aunt didn't want the same for them. Only my nephew was simple. Just got him a bike

[@Tychoxi]

The things you own end up owning you. -- Tyler Durden

[@americaniii734]

Tychoxi true

[@idib1739]

Indeed, and the more you spend time with it the more it's true, like your smartphone for instance.

[@dangeroustoys5668]

Tychoxi - true

[@evgheniiturco9268]

OMG so deep! Here's another one: How Can Mirrors Be Real If Our Eyes Aren't Real???? LIKE WTF???

[@dsupredsupre7963]

evghenii turco u druged bro

[@austinwachukwu]

Hot damn the audio quality on this is so satisfying.

[@ongobongo8333]

Austin Nwachukwu what

[@tyyonnawoods91]

Austin Nwachukwu it is

[@Luna-ry8lv]

Eargasm

[@serene9532]

Try ASMR then, you might like it? :)

[@justinaledezma8022]

@Anindya hi

[@kanzenchowa9868]

1:15. I'm not disagreeing. But just thought that strange. I would personally put more value in the mug than a bar of chocolate. My reason is that the mug would have more perceived "permanence" where as the chocolate is only temporary and common. A mug, no matter how bland and boring it may be is something you can keep. A chocolate, you will have to consume or throw away eventually at a sooner rate than a mug. So to me, it would have been better to get the mug than a chocolate.

[@maocharlisme]

Yōjinbō 用心棒 I thought the same! I think most people actually respond on a more emotional level to choicemaking of these sorts and even prefer instant reward above delayed reward even if the latter is greater or more valuable. Have read about and seen videos about studies that found these things out earlier. It's pretty interesting. Personally I have always been much more patient by nature towards these kind of things..

[@scelestus6930]

Maybe some people don't need another mug and like chocolate more, no?

[@KookiesNolly]

If I were part of the experiment and were given the chocolate I would have ruined the experiment because I would have eaten the chocolate immediately. That's why I am never asked to participate in this kind of events. :(

[@sreshthanayek8363]

Yōjinbō 用心棒 Well that's not the point really. They wanted to compare between things of equal value basically. And of course opinions vary. Maybe a person has loads of mugs at home. Then he or she will choose the chocolate maybe

[@moracomole8090]

Yōjinbō 用心棒 they can both cost 1 buck

[@Anonymous-vh6kp]

I like how the person took the moon home in the bucket.

[@ShawnRavenfire]

I think it's a reference to an old story, but I don't remember what.

[@maocharlisme]

Shawn Ravenfire; tell me if you remember!

[@vlad-pm2zr]

I remember!

[@vlad-pm2zr]

Gagan Narang As a kid I always loved staring at the bright full moon on a clear sky. I had contemplated claiming ownership to that object, taking it home and hanging it up over my bed. But I was uncomfortable with the thought of taking the moon away from other kids. Lol

[@vlad-pm2zr]

Gagan Narang same how it was hanging up in the skies I figured :D

[@Catalistic]

I think, philosophically, that everything we own is part of our lives, which mean that losing it mean that we are losing part of ourselves.

[@bonjourphoenix7487]

Yeah that’s what I feel like and what I think when my parents try to get rid of something but then they’ll think I have something wrong. Or they’ll start getting rid of stuff to see my reaction

[@kanzanaveed]

Yeah, I read, we have a part of us in the things we own💛

[@bernardocoto8519]

I agree, on the day I got separated from my ex-wife, I woke up in the middle of the night with the sharp feeling that my identity was dissolving. I started asking myself where were my books, my clothes, all my stuff. It just lasted a while, but at the moment I had the feeling that I was not whole without my things. It was quite shoking...

[@bperez8656]

Shows a lack of spirituality

[@nintendoxlovexxx]

You said it exactly right. I have anxiety and when I lost two of my favorite items and couldn’t find them. I tried to force my brain to accept that it happened and there’s nothing I can do to get it back. Move on and be happy. But my brain keeps telling me if only I had that item back I would finally feel better. I wouldn’t feel so anxious all the time. Your right we lose a part of ourselves when we lose something we value. It is also very hard to accept the lost item when we are still attached it mentally without it physically there.

[@cuadrix7813]

Mine. My own. My precious.

[@shallandavarpainterofsouls9509]

PRECIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@thethinkingbeing9817]

It is my chocolate bar and I will not let anyone take it... NOT... ONE... PIECE OF IT!

[@stewartritchey7602]

Sez Gollum.

[@scientist503]

Your profile picture says *OURS*

[@kokomrade2541]

Nope,it's *OURS*

[@ghost_ship_supreme]

I don't think books will ever die. There's something about actually holding it than looking at just the words that's more satisfying. Besides, as an added bonus, books are easy on the eyes, so if your eyes are hurting from too much electronics, you can go read a book of your choice instead.

[@binozia-old-2031]

An you get to flex on relatives by showing them your personal library

[@kimcipoletto769]

You can smell a book. Cannot do this with a digital device.

[@LanieMae]

For some reason my paper books always smell of salt and vinegar chips 😂

[@binozia-old-2031]

BrightN'Night Dragon i want your books

[@theshadowmonster1]

I hate books. Holding them isnt satisfying it hurts me and when im in pain - logically i avoid that thing. Also electronic dont pain my eyes

[@eugen9611]

i love physical books, it's so much more satisfying to slowly read through a thick book and then add it to my library

[@Lumliet]

Totally agree :D The smell of paper is awesome too. And to actually touch paper and turn real pages is way better than to read a book on a computer or something like that. Anyway, I think physycal books will never disappear completely !

[@katiewade6238]

YESSSS!!!!! Finally, someone who UNDERSTANDS!!!!!!!!

[@1chipchap]

Yes agree but I’d pass the book on to someone else to read

[@louiswong921]

i dont like books in the first place lol

[@alanimustafa9260]

Same

[@johnnychang4233]

The closing scene of the girl taking away the bucket of water thinking it contains the Moon may be a reference to an ancient Asian fable, at least it's what my memory recalls.

[@tayipsr]

I think it's a book when I saw that scene I remembered something like that but It's too vague lol. I think that story may be popular

[@lashantacurry5978]

Your inclusion of fables makes myths something people can possess which isn't something intrinsically individual. Unless efforts in attempting to label something a symbol of myth or fable occures and that's not something possessive rather burdening others with someone else's cultural concerns of story and explanation.

[@johnnychang4233]

@@lashantacurry5978 Myths are the generalization of an event in a fantastic setting that may have happened in the distant past. Fables are the different narratives that people make to remember or retool to adapt to their contemporary culture of fantastic events.

[@lashantacurry5978]

@@johnnychang4233 we differ in our perceptions of both defining and contextualizing myth and fable. Explaining myth usually develops from efforts of providing origin or genesis material while lack of understanding in terms of historical legitamacy are prevelant. While fables from my understanding explain cautionary or educational influences societies place value upon. Myths describe beginnings or provide beginnings for times or eras that lack written or rational explanation. While fables usually make use of describing lessons, societal values, through the telling of fables. Both provide massive details about the society or culture they in myths represent and in fables describe.

[@johnnychang4233]

@@lashantacurry5978 I usually associate more myths to taboos in ancient societies while fables are a soften version geared toward youngsters.

[@kimmulakshmi]

I'm attached to my things because I spent time finding it, buying it & hoping to keep it for a very long time. I invested in it so thus, it's MINE!!!

[@LilXancheX]

Same here. I invested so much time in stealing a box full of ps3 and Xbox video games and movies from Walmart that they hold a permanent place in my heart forever

[@Jackgritty28]

Ownership of items, prefer to keep my possessions, what I consider mine, our perception of the physical world, a sense of responsibility🚩🆘

[@courtney.22]

I have had a blanket since I was a baby. I'm 15 now and I still have it and sleep with it.

[@siberianhuskybudthegreywol9202]

i received a broken futon that's broken in just the right way to make it perfectly comfortable for me... i'll probably keep it till it disintegrates...

[@kimcipoletto769]

I am 60 years old. I have had my teddy bear for 30 years. He is the only thing that really helps me sleep peacefully.

[@TMI_CO]

@courtney courteau Same, I'm 20 years old and I have my blankey too

[@bantiechick2966]

I am 51. I still have my teddy bear from my 1st birthday, my raggedy Ann doll, my blanket from when I was a toddler and my blanket from when I was 10. 😍

[@alanford8479]

Me too

[@Srim3359]

"The root of suffering is attachment." - Buddha

[@CinmnTstCrnchChrros]

I was gonna say a comment, but I do not want to start a war.

[@KatarinaS.]

@@CinmnTstCrnchChrros so why say anything at all? Now you have to tell us what you were going to say.

[@CinmnTstCrnchChrros]

@@KatarinaS. I am against buddha ._.

[@KatarinaS.]

@@CinmnTstCrnchChrros OK then

[@HelgaCavoli]

@@CinmnTstCrnchChrros why?

[@BeaverChainsaw]

Whenever I think of a future of books that are just digital screens, I get the shivers

[@Bhuvan_MS]

It is partially true now, because of online classes lol.

[@Ebolson1019]

Very insightful, I myself have a slight hording problem and have always wondered why i get so attached to things that I've had for a few minutes or why I hate to get rid of things that I haven't touched in years.

[@bonjourphoenix7487]

Same I’m fairly young (not a teen yet) I have some toys that I haven’t touched in years but I don’t want my parents to get rid of them because they played a big part in my childhood (similar to a comment above yours)

[@likhithaveerapalli6193]

Same boat as both of you, for example, my mom threw away my favorite sweater that I wore when I was four years old. I still think about it every day, and sometimes cry about it.

[@machupikachu1085]

It's also because you probably had to work hard to get those things. You rewarded your efforts with these items, and they are a physical reminder of your accomplishments.

[@samadsyed5396]

Hmm, could this same affect happen in relationships? Maybe this is why a breakup is so hard for most people.

[@AbbyEmbro]

Very perceptive

[@lashantacurry5978]

If you considered the person yours you'd likely behave you concern toward your belongings inticating the avoidance of ending the relationship.

[@omegalul7074]

I'm so attached to my laptop because it's SO DAMN EXPENSIVE

[@ToastyMeadows]

Demonic lol

[@truthseek3017]

Money is an illusion.

[@couergarnet]

You still attached?

[@omegalul7074]

no bc it broke

[@snijder6255]

@@omegalul7074 ohhh

[@orlando9666]

I love this guys voice.

[@anonymousmonkey9491]

if my name is alex, wouldn't that mean the things in both basket belong to me? :)

[@ProfessorSyndicateFranklai]

No, the other basket belongs to people named mine, as a compensation for their unfortunate nam- MINE!

[@sm6756]

Smart one

[@markoalex8819]

My name is Alex

[@hardikbatra2181]

😅

[@notesmaker204]

Minneva or 'mine'

[@mariolinton]

This is the best youtube channel ever!! I love it!!

[@teknowhale]

Mario Linton No its not

Yes it is.

[@kennethmccormick1791]

It's like the 3rd Best for me. Kurzgesagt & Vsauce are better

Kenneth McCormick I have to change my opinion and agree with you :-)

[@keshini7275]

HappySisyphus sure it is sure it is

[@FingerThatO]

i was born with siblings where we had to share everything, and we had to move apartments often, while an ex of mine was single child and lived in the same home her entire life. I dont want to say she was materialistic but she did take much value to objects, and was stingy with her money. It pissed me off a lot of the times, this video allowed me to understand why though.

[@realsandeep]

why? LUL

[@eduardobarreto5555]

We have an attachment to things we call our own, and an even stronger attachment when we put effort into obtaining it. Even if "effort" means getting your parents to hand you the money to buy something. In my childhood I have appreciated even more stuff when they gave me the bills to buy them, instead of them handing me the object itself. Giving your kids the money to buy stuff instead of giving them the things also helps to make them see the value of things in a more tangible way.

[@kerstinlieder6193]

Iam an only child too. I dont understand why others share so easy. I only share with my best friend. She is very precious to me... Iam not stingy with money when it comes to me or her but other ppl should never get the idea to get what she or me gets. And yes Iam very materialistic because nice things hold longer than the most emotional stuff

[@irov5884]

It looks like she wasn't as much attached to you as to her objects... ouch

[@parulsrivastava8642]

If you break down every emotion, there is a reason for everything. That is why the concept of good person, bad person is actually unreasonable. And i believe reasoning could be the ultimate cure. Knowledge is everything.

[@g_malaaycora7140]

Can relate😅 Whenever I was going to clean stuff I always have a second thought because I believe that it contains memories💓

[@khandoker106]

Same but I though that it was useful for me in my future life

[@bonjourphoenix7487]

Same

[@isaacs8783]

When I was younger (and I still have it) I had a soft toy of the robot from the Pixar film WALL.E. I would have odd dreams where I discovered I had a copy of it and I got very confused about which one I was supposed to keep even when I woke up.

[@CyanStarLight]

Amber Shoffren I had the same dream with my little sister, I was told to kill the copy on the left but I didn't know left/right at the time.

[@isaacs8783]

CyanStarLight that sounds odd

[@isabel443]

OH. MY. GOD. I have this stuffed animal that I still have and I used to think I would wake up in the middle of the night. When I thought I did, I would see a bunch of copies of the same stuffed animal at the end of the bed and I would always be afraid of choosing an "imposter" stuffed animal. The creepy thing is that whenever I chose one I would have the stuffed animal in my arms in the morning, but one time I left all of them at the end of the bed and in the morning the one stuffed animal was at the end of the bed...

[@yazdanahmed7790]

@@isabel443 Creepy, but interesting

[@sofiacaldo9291]

@@isabel443 Its so cool to find people with similar experiences. Its even creepy xD. I always had a dream that my stuffed animal (my favorite that i took everywhere) had a copy and i always forgot which was the original.

[@madelaine0601]

The smell when you turn a books pages... 😍

[@ralves]

There is nothing like reading a real book, touch it, smell it. No technology will rob me of this pleasure! :D

[@aleksandram.]

We cannot forget, that books look really good inside our houses and add nice colours to the rooms. Lol

[@pmtclock]

Wait. You smell it?! Me too, gurl, me too.

[@fatorangebastard]

David Cote I don’t think op is a girl...

[@sheranlanger247]

I'm allergic to old books which may have been damp or have book mites.

[@jb6712]

I thought that way, too--until the day I pretty much lost the strength in my right arm and shoulder due to the results of a major fall. I can not hold books for any length of time, so my sister and her husband gifted me a Kindle five years ago; now I have hundreds of books downloaded onto it, and I can just prop it up and read to my heart's content without having to hold the weight. That it has a backlit screen only adds to the pleasure of being able to read anywhere, any time, not having to wait until a "good time" of day so as not to disturb anyone else with a light. I grew up with physical books, thousands of them in our house all the time; but sometimes, life throws a curveball, and one has to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate one's needs.

[@heididamayo6358]

That's why this whole Marie Kondo craze has been so helpful for me. I imbue my belongings with such importance, it's hard to throw anything away. At least being able to thank it for its time with me makes it easier.

[@lemon7351]

I personally think that the reason we are attached to our belongings is because we subconsciously link them with a precious or valuable memory that we have. For example; someone you love dearly gave you an item and you began to treasure it knowing that the person who gave it to you thought about you when picking out this certain item. PS: Nice vid:) very educational and easy to understand

[@sarshanden8033]

As much as I'd like that to be true the experiments suggests that it's not the case.

[@DesmondaCathabel]

Narrator, your voice is incredibly soothing. Everytime I have trouble sleeping, I go to a TED-Ed marathon and just listen till I fall asleep lol.

[@Rav3r916]

Addison Anderson could narrate the phone book and it would literally lull me to sleep. The way he tells the story is very captivating and easy to the ears. I could listen to him talk all day, every day.

[@doggydeeds]

I've always understood since I was little how meaningless it is to hang on to every little thing like a lot of people do. I'm the opposite of a hoarder, I throw away or give away every thing I don't use for a year or so. I get freaked out by the thought of having a lot of things and sometimes will look for things to get rid of. I grew up mennonite and I think that's the reason why I understood this from so early on. My family had only material things we needed and used, there was no storage of material things at all. I had almost no toys as a kid and because of that I was outside making things like forts, digging holes and climbing trees. My point is that when I seen kids that had a lot of toys, I noticed that it caused them stress from protecting them and yelling at other kids not to touch them. Of course I did wish I had some of the toys they had but I was never less happy than they were I deep down I knew that.

[@jakaan2014]

Boris Tyson do you have something you are passionate about to cause you to have a deeper connection to something? Even though you are willing to throw it away with ease

[@maocharlisme]

Boris Tyson; this is good as long as you don't buy (new) things quickly either.

[@doggydeeds]

Jadon Jeffery I'm a very philosophical person and what I'm passionate about more than anything is evolving and learning how to have the best experience possible in this life, and I use the internet for almost all the knowledge I acquire, so the one thing I don't want to give up is my computer, but I don't think I'm passionate about computers because they can be replaced so easily and cheaply.

[@doggydeeds]

Charlye'Charleston I buy everything used except shoes and underwear, it saves me tons of money. I could not care less about having the newest things, I'll buy things after they're three years old and pay a fraction of the original price. Most of my furniture I got for free from people throwing it out and you would never even know, it's amazing the things people throw out sometimes. My brother bought a $1000 table and I picked one up from the curb, and he was over and told me how nice it was and asked where I bought it. The legs where wobbly and I added extra screws and now it's sturdy as can be. People waste so much money buying and discarding things, it seems crazy to me but it's good because it gives people jobs.

[@maocharlisme]

Boris Tyson; that's great that you get so much secondhand ! well it isn't really that good, woud be better to think of another way to create jobs because its really bad for the environment to produce and disregard goods at the rate we're doing globally! so good for you that you live like that!

[@mvanhuijgevoort7612]

I don't believe I have been given an answer on WHY we think stuff that belongs to us is special.. just that we do.

[@zubairsheikh6067]

exactly whole video spoke about symptoms and didn't answer what makes us do that

[@palimdragonmaster3k]

It's not something you can easily prove. Personally I think this is where the nascent ideas behind capitalism and western culture comes from. The idea of possession

[@Tonatiub]

They answered it tho? Intuitively we believe we infuse special properties into them as we interact with them and accumulate memories related to them, its natural magical thinking like believing your desire affects probability; Its only after science came and told us the object remains the same regardless of our feelings that it stopped being self-evident to us.

[@goofball2228]

I’m deeply attached to my blanket on my bed. I love that thing so much and I hate when people wash it. Idk why I depend on it so much but I need it. I would literally cry if something happened to it.

[@jennhoff03]

I've observed an interesting version of this when shopping. My friend and I would go to a home decorating store, and each pick up, say, a lamp. We'd debate if we should get it. Then she'd put hers down to find the best looking one of that model on the shelf, whereas I would want to keep "mine" because it was the one I picked up! I was already attached to it and hadn't even bought it yet. But her attachment didn't form until she was at the checkout stand basically. I always wondered why we both consistently reacted that way.

[@ichangemynameregularly]

that marylyn monroe joke .... got me all cracked up

[@charlieduncan8070]

chhayank harjai crack... as in a drug

[@ichangemynameregularly]

Fitness Gram no buddy as in laughing

[@williamchamberlain2263]

Imagine: we spent most of our tool-using evolution in the wood/stone age; you find and shape a stick for digging, or find and chip a stone for cutting. This is _not_ easy, or quick. Swapping for another item means that you're taking a risk; you _know_ how good the thing you already have is because you've tested it.

[@muladiajisasmito1361]

I love physical books because of those "signature" aromas of both new and old books Mmmmm I love the scents

[@vlad-pm2zr]

Great animations, sweet and genuine. Very much enjoyed this video.

[@devawaud5984]

I loved my dog the day I got her, you dont know how much I love her!

[@kathy9124]

This TED animation is one of my favorites! Nostalgic yet warm. ❤️😊

[@WTKB82]

I'm actually quite possessive of digital music. There are some songs that I downloaded when I was 8th grade that I need to replace for better quality versions....but I don't want to replace them because those are the ones I downloaded in 8th grad :/

[@maocharlisme]

Bla Blah; lol

[@vmlyou]

Same here..bt then I lost my mobile 😥

[@Hunterfrag]

same here! it's weird, right?

[@nekode1418]

I love the art style. Please make more of this!

[@MrGlostuber]

iPhone users lack this as they'd happily exchange their phones for a newer version, even if it has 1/2 upgrades added to it.

[@whitepouch0904]

Not really. Cuz I've hoarded lots of photos and ebooks in my phone and I'm lazy asf to transfer. As long as phone works I won't buy new.

[@joie0825]

I'm an iphone user, but i'm not fond of upgrading my phone everytime there is a new version. I'm not showy just like the others... i value everything especially when i worked hard for it.

[@MrGlostuber]

@@joie0825 I'm sure back then I meant the majority not necessarily all of them but that's good.

[@decadude6895]

Wanting to own the latest iPhone is a completely different psychological disorder

[@mraaronhd]

I’m still very attached to my Pokémon card collection that I had from when I was 12. It’s not the monetary value as to why I hold onto them (I never had a 1st edition based Charizard), but because of the nostalgic memories they bring back.

[@jaynestaggy9775]

I was about 3 and I painted a picture which looked like a kite. I got up in the night to see it which felt so good. I'm nostalgic and stay this way as it makes me so happy like nothing else can.

[@randy4994]

I love these videos .. full of knowledge , nice animation and wonderful narration plus they end the video on such a sweet note . Love you Ted : )

[@vishwajeetohal9137]

my favourite part was the last bit where the girl "keeps the moon" as her own.

[@ullumini7538]

I've always had trouble sleeping, (and I still have) so my mom bought an eye mask from a dollar store when I was about 6. It was pink and had the words 'Queen Beautiful' on it and I hated it, but I grew attached to it. I never slept without it. When I was about 11, I lost it and dropped everything to find it. When I couldn't, I cried every night for a month and a half. I still miss it to this day.

[@scarletm8992]

i remember giving away my first warriors book to someone to read. The someone was my great aunt’s friend who I think died. The warriors books were and still are a big part of my life and I’m sad that i no longer have that book, it symbolizes a series that i love dearly. i remember my uncle taking me and my sister to a used book store, and I found that book. It was worn but when i read it, it was truly magical. I’m starting to get back into the series now. But I do hope that the book is in a young person’s hand, reading and feeling the magic that i did when i read it first :)

[@Cheesie586]

Big thank you to Avi Ofer who animated this beautifully made short film

[@belaangelo9616]

Love on its side has much to do with this narcissistic sense of ownership. As we love, we like to feel that the person we love is our own. In some cases in a sick way that we might hurt ourselves or the others. It is really magnificent how human beings are created ... 🌼

[@soulamigou208]

Wow that is so interesting!!! Your explaining is so good!!! Keep teaching us!!! 😄

[@micklafleur]

I love finishing a book and bringing it to one of our Little Library kiosks in the neighborhood. Nothing better than sharing a book.

[@MsDK-es9hv]

I have the unique experience of selling my home, downsizing and realizing that I can't take everything with me. It hurt me unbearably to part with things.....that I remembered who I was with when I bought them, some of them, I had deep memories with. I kept the most precious family momentoes....and let go of the things that were mostly just my own. With all the changes, I cried the most...over losing my treasures.

[@em8145]

great video as always! very useful and informant. the art also, was so cute :3

[@youdeservetobehappynow7584]

I'm so attach to my things. I remember when I was at school I keep my papers with high grades or signed by my favorite friend and keep it and it is still in my past bag and I don't want to touch it anymore because I felt like it's for the past forever and the present me shouldn't touch it anymore but see it instead.

[@joumana1275]

Very interesting video! What I also find fascinating is that I don't feel we have the same sense of attachment to items in cyberspace, e.g. audiobooks or ebooks vs paper books. Food for thought!

[@devendraingale1699]

i really love ur videos they are so professionally designed to reach viewers without any second opinions about same topics

[@hedgyverona100]

Sometimes I find a weird stick or rock outside and then I keep it for a few minutes and now I have an bond with that stone and feel bad throwing it away BUT IT‘S A S T O N E

[@hyenaedits3460]

This is exactly why books, CDs, and DVDs are always going to be around. I would also like to add that objects can hold memory. A lot of my favorite plushes hold positive memories of the people who gave them to me or the games I used to play with the plush when I was little. It's easier to remember some people and places when I hold an object associated with them. I'm more likely to give away a plush that was given to me by somebody whose relationship with me changed in a negative way, like a family member who I found out was toxic because there are bad memories associated with it.

[@MatthewGibbonsDrCosmo]

This is definitely a fascinating one! Great animation too!

[@bobbybecker7348]

so many good points in this video I was I knew for my previous video! also you killed the editing on this video. It was very pleasing

[@MariaMartinez-researcher]

As for books, there is a difference: they are solid objects you can touch, hear, smell. Many are beautifully illustrated or artistically bound. Some have handwritten signatures (which we just saw adds to their perceived value). And, if the power or batteries get down, you can read them anyway. You only need a working eye and some light. That's why books persist.

[@steveprimeau1407]

I sometimes find myself yearning for the things I once owned many years ago like a long lost friend - if only we could meet once again, I think. My dream would be to take one more ride through the back roads on my brand new 250 cc Yamaha Enduro trail bike with the wind against my face. It would be like a dream come true. It was a birthday gift from my parents in 79. I was fifteen. They sold it in 86 - not long after I moved out. I often wonder where its final resting place came to be after all these years. It's amazing how an inanimate object can mean so much to us and stay forever in our hearts. It's crazy - I know! 😢

[@lashantacurry5978]

You don't own friends

[@maggiemay9381]

I have rebought my childhood toys on ebay..... I have them all around me in my bedroom. This gives me good memories, I feel calm with them. Keeps me emotionally stable after all that life has thrown at me.....very comforting. Anything that I don't have an emotional attachment to then I could give it away. I might sleep in a toy shop but it's a happy friendly one...... age 55yrs from Wales In Britain.👋

[@sanstinepotter1]

This is me. I attached emotionally to things i own. I keep a lot of things from my childhood, keep magazine, casette, handphone box, cloth i dont wear anymore, and so many things in my room. Until i came across konmari and minimalism. Now, things i own are reduced a lot and i really think a lot before i buy things. I donate cloth, book, throw away many things that i've had before. I feel more comfortable now, it clear my mind.

[@lolitox919]

This animation is incredible, its makes you take a learning perspective towards things that may sound scary at the outset. You have to accept you have a problem before you can change it. I too struggle with endowment effect and I'll put efforts to re-wire my reward system so that I can have more of an egalitarian perspective.

[@adventureawaits3860]

I am very protective of all my stuff....And i don't like anyone to take even my old clothes (that do not fit) or anything that i own..... I need help...

[@bonjourphoenix7487]

Same

[@faisal.5347]

I love the way your videos are viewed from presentation and voice acting

[@aaxram310]

Im still missing my home I moved away from. It brings tears when I even see a picture of it..

[@helenpatterson3858]

I have a silver soup spoon that belonged to my grandmother who passed on almost 50 years ago. When I hold that spoon in my hand and contemplate that she held that very spoon I feel connected. I don't know why, but I just do.

[@PNDA2023]

I love these.... they should do one on what is anxiety and anxiety disorders. people need to know its not just in your mind its all scientific too

[@goofball2228]

As someone with anxiety, I agree

[@Lumliet]

Very interesting lesson. The drawings are so beautiful and poetic too. It can explain why some people will have a "crush" on an object they saw in a store (a plush, a book, I don't know) : they feel like it's their own. Human beings are very sensitive i guess. (well it happened to me several times, I was out to buy water and I came home with a plush because I felt attached to it...)

[@nyaasajain8452]

This was beautiful, thank you Ted ed

[@branflakes2600]

I like the animation. The art.

[@KookiesNolly]

the animation of this video was hilarious! thank you TED-ed

[@Kyerialforever]

I have this thing where I despise the mere inkling of a thought that someone is going to take something that is mine away from me but i have no problem giving something away, even if i just had a huge fight over it not being taken .

[@bee-un4fq]

It holds a special place in my heart.😔

[@LordxPaesh]

I'm attached to all of my things but I also have bpd. Personally, I see my objects (and pets) as things that will never leave me or hurt me like people do, so I become a lot more attached to them than I do other humans.

[@user-ns1um8kq7i]

this was a really good one

[@n2bfw884]

Having watched this, I had to add it to a playlist and can't imagine deleting it.

[@krammi]

My mom gifted me a bowl once. My brother accidentally broke it. I felt (maybe still feel) petty about this and told all of my friends, who all told me "just buy another one". I just looked at them horrified. Buy another one? The only value it had came from the fact that my mom gifted it to me (I still live with my mom so it's not like I miss her or anything). I never bought another one.

[@Ferelmakina]

maybe that's why first loves are so intensely remembered

[@jsnl247]

2:18 This is my tricycle, there are many like it, but this one is mine, without my tricycle, I am nothing, without me, my tricycle is nothing

[@Emxcix]

i loved this video sm !!!!! so interesting, I feel like i love objects a bit more than others as I have family members who do the same and it's so interesting to find out the psychology behind it

[@palimdragonmaster3k]

That last scene was quite precious ☺️

[@leVraiQuasar]

IN FRANCE we had a great poet called Alphonse De La Martine who wrotes in one of those poeme: “Objets inanimés, avez-vous donc une âme qui s’attache à notre âme et la force d’aimer ?” :D who can be trnaslate in my bad english: "Inanimate objects, do you have a soul that clings to our soul and strength to love?"

[@shrikrishnajugtawat4639]

this is exactly my problem. am i alone or someone else here also has it?

[@CreativeCat333]

Mega Mind me kkkk

[@ajarkhan7277]

I like your name. Mega mind was sucha legend

[@TheVilivan]

Mega Mind The video literally says that all humans have it (maybe almost all)

[@diyasankar5147]

no, you are the only one who has it. this video is dedicated to you.

[@bry7487]

I feel guilty for not wanting things I've had for awhile. Every time I move, I inwardly tell the object I appreciate it but it's time to move on.

[@ImissSaganCarl]

This was a very, very fascinating video. Thanks.

[@kenbobca]

I've worked so hard and given of myself to attain what I have.

[@SoilInfiltrator]

I love the work of *Avi Ofer*! 😚👌

[@SASEFacultyMarinaSQuila]

Thanks to this video. I used this in my topic, material self

[@markbrown6223]

The animation on this video was amazing!

[@sinoroman]

if you eat the chocolate, you don't own anything but the wrapper. i guess we keep the wrapper.

[@sophiapedroza9001]

I used to have a wrapper collection

[@idkwtvr4844]

@@sophiapedroza9001 I did too, but I threw them away in second grade after I tried to take out something from my backpack and spilled wrappers everywhere

[@Andre-iy2ob]

4:10 This animation is amazing

[@leeboriack8054]

Beautifully done!

[@valhatan3907]

So, me and my small family along with other big relatives were live in one house together-typical south-east asian household. I one day my small family move to a new house, we planned to take my stuffs a little by little from the old house. When I came back to take my stuffs, I saw my study desk with many of my personal belongings since my childhood-got screwed. Some are missing, some are broken, heck even my copic markers! That thing is priced $58+ and not cheap for me! My cousins did that, my aunty knew their kids messed up with my stuffs and she know how valuable mine was but she just doing nothing! So I stumbled and cried when I see the items that made me as _me_ disturbed. I never disturb others belonging, but why people always love to disturb mine? I'm always feel furious and sad everytime I remember that. I too emotionally attached from that immovable objects than a living being who can't respect to my things.

[@aazamben4582]

I sometimes feels that I can't really attached to a digital book yet but reading a physical book make me feel like I'm smelling dust on them. Strange for me, anyone know about it???

[@billvojtech5686]

I will buy a book, new or used, rather than use a free library.

[@SykoleEGY]

Loved the last part of the moon. :)

[@Kostarion1]

I'm just wondering why there's no option to add subtitles to the channel videos? I believe that TED-ed has quite a strong community that could help authors to make these fantastic videos more accessible for everyone

[@hope-.]

It's not the object, but the memories and nostalgia attached to it