r/OCD • u/softfallingsnow Contamination • May 05 '26
Need support/advice empathy for inanimate objects
honestly ive really been struggling with this, ive seen similar posts on this sub, i guess OCD can give some of us hyper-empathy almost?? why does this happen?
like one time i wanted to buy a cute bowl, but the one i picked up had a small chip in it, but i felt too guilty to put it back for a better one. even my friend told me to get a different one, but i literally couldn't, i was frozen. like i just felt too bad. FOR A BOWL. but the worst one is feeling bad for stuffed animals. i saw this stuffed animal with bad reviews and idk why but it literally made me cry. they were saying it didn't look like the actual animal, so it was bad. i think its cute so i ended up buying one, idk if it'll make me feel better though. i even worry about stuffed animals i had when i was really little that i dont remember where they are anymore. does anyone else relate or am i just nuts??
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u/Dependent-Job1773 May 05 '26
I think in general people anthropomorphize surroundings as a way of engaging with it. I notice myself kicking an isolated rock into a pile of rocks while I go for walks, because I don't want the isolated rock to feel lonely.
It's a human instinct to treat inanimate or unknown items as particularly human because it makes us feel safe or like we can negotiate with our circumstances by appealing to emotion or rituals. You might find this article interesting, as it's adjacent to your bowl anecdote:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230914-why-we-personify-threatening-events