Anthropomorphizing: Plus & Minus

The human brain is a relational brain. This leads some children to anthropomorphize their non-human pets or toys. It seems to help them make sense of their environment and even to the world around them. This tendency to anthropomorphize can persist into adulthood. Some of the world’s religious beliefs as far back as Egypt anthropomorphized images of non-human gods. There can be some benefits to anthropomorphizing such as filling a social need, promoting wildlife conservation and reducing animal cruelty. Anxiety or stress can sometimes be relieved by sleeping with a comfortable soft toy. There can be negatives. Applying human thoughts and behaviors can be detrimental to pets, leading to actually harming their needs and best interests. Studies in 2021 reported that anthropomorphizing could cause misunderstandings that end up negatively impacting pets. More tomorrow.