Do we anthropomorphise ourselves?

We see it on videos all the time. Animals do crazy things, we attribute human traits to them, we laugh at how embarrassed, guilty, angry or clumsy they look. On some level we know that Angry-Cat is not actually angry, we’re just anthropomorphising. In this case placing a definition of a human expression on a non-human species’ face. It may not be accurate but it’s fun and seems to come very naturally to us all. Animals make the most of this tendency. Dogs in particular have learnt a certain position (nose down, looking up, slouching shoulders, tail low) brings more attention or food or both. We think, oh you poor puppy, do you need a cuddle? Do you want a bite of my hot toast??

We might not all see the same characteristics on animals but we all automatically anthropomorphise. Since birth we’ve been tuning into social cues. Our brain is designed to recognise patterns and we attribute a description to these patterns. So it’s natural and happening all the time.

My thought for the day is … do we anthropomorphise ourselves??

Do we treat ourselves based on our subconscious ideals of appearance, behaviours and characteristics?

What’s interesting is these ideals are not fixed. Not only were they originally created with a single thought (then embedded over time) but we can see this in action by looking at different cultures (warning: these are generalisations).

In Germany and the USA, time is highly scheduled and punctuality is highly valued.? Countries like India and Latin America value relationships over strict adherence to being on time.

Finland and Japan value emotional restraint and associated subtle expressions, often keeping personal feelings private. While in Italy and Brazil emotions are encouraged with the use of gestures, tone and facial expressions.

Western industrial societies view humans as separate from and dominant over nature, aiming to control and exploit. Indigenous and east asian societies empathize living in balance with nature and respecting its rhythms.

So my conclusion is we do indeed anthropomorphise ourselves with these unconscious ideals. But knowing they are malleable we can both enjoy the cat videos while also having more empathy and compassion for ourselves and others.?

During this time of year we spend a lot of time with friends and family. Try and notice how much you’re holding others to your own ideals and wonder what might happen if these ideals changed and evolved.

Happy New Year,

Enjoy,

Tim.