Why We Hold on to Things

Hidden Brain

Hidden Brain Media

Arts, Science, Performing Arts, Social Sciences

4.6 • 40.4K Ratings

🗓️ 31 May 2021

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What do the things you own say about who you are? Psychologist Bruce Hood studies our relationship with our possessions – from beloved childhood objects to the everyday items we leave behind. If you like our work, please consider supporting it! See how you can help at support.hiddenbrain.org. And to learn more about human behavior and ideas that can improve your life, subscribe to our newsletter at news.hiddenbrain.org.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Hidden Brain, I'm Shankar Vedantam.
0:06.0	Ryan's Satan is opening up a storage unit in Austin, Texas.
0:15.0	It's 10 feet by 5 feet with steel walls.
0:18.0	I'm unloading my mom's stuff.
0:22.0	Ryan's mom recently moved out of town and left her things with him.
0:26.0	It's just crap to me.
0:28.0	Lots of files she thought she would need.
0:32.0	Lots of purses.
0:36.0	It's probably like 10 purses.
0:38.0	Why? Why 10 purses?
0:41.0	I'm a firm believer and just shed your skin, get rid of it and start traveling light.
0:49.0	But then, Ryan stops.
0:52.0	He's looking at a VHS tape, turning it over in his hands.
0:56.0	It's a recording of a TV show that he was on when he was a child.
1:02.0	He shakes his head.
1:03.0	It's so like his mom to do this.
1:06.0	And their sentimental value, so it's hard to get rid of.
1:09.0	She does it in abundance, just to make her feel better.
1:17.0	It's not just Ryan's mom.
1:19.0	It's hard for many people to let go of their stuff.
1:23.0	That's because the things we own can be imbued with deep meaning.
1:30.0	This week on Hidden Brain, the complex psychology of what it means to own something
	...

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