Do Stuffed Animals Have Feelings？

Have you ever wondered if stuffed animals have feelings? From an objective point of view, stuffed animals are lifeless objects made of synthetic fibers, cotton, or other materials, and they lack the emotional capacity of humans, but why do we sometimes feel that our stuffed animals have feelings? This article will explore the relationship between stuffed animals and emotions and hopefully offer some insights to you!

Why Do You Think Stuffed Animals Have Feelings?

I was a lonely boy growing up. I didn’t have many friends, and my parents were always busy with their work. They hardly had any time to play with me. My only companion was a stuffed bear that I named Allen. He was my best friend and confidant. I would cuddle with him every night, talk to him every day, and play games with him. I imagined that he had feelings and emotions like me. He could listen to me, answer me, and comfort me.

One day, I returned home from school and found my room in a mess. Someone had ransacked my things and taken some of them away. I panicked and searched for Allen, but he was nowhere to be found. I remembered that I had forgotten to lock the door in the morning. Someone must have broken in and stolen my stuff, including Allen. I felt heartbroken and burst into tears. I felt like I had lost the most important thing in my life and my closest friend.

I ran out of the house and looked for Allen everywhere. I asked the passers-by if they had seen a stuffed bear, but no one knew anything. I walked to a trash can near my house and saw a familiar figure. It was Allen! But he was thrown into the trash can, covered with dirt and mud. I ran over and pulled him out of the trash can. I hugged him tightly and said to him, “Allen, are you okay? I was so worried about you! You know what? You are my best friend! I can’t live without you!” At that moment, I felt a deep bond with Allen. He was a friend that I could never lose. Later, I found out that it was my mother who had thrown away Allen. She thought he was old and wanted to buy me a new teddy bear. But I still loved Allen more than anything else. He was my one and only friend, and I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. To this day, even though many years have passed, I still cherish Allen.

When I grew up, I became curious about this childhood emotion. Why did I feel that Allen had feelings? Why did I treat him like a real friend? So I did some research and learned some psychological explanations for this phenomenon.

Psychological Explanations About The Emotions Of Stuffed Animals

• Anthropomorphism: Anthropomorphism is a psychological phenomenon in which we assign human traits, such as emotions, thoughts, and intentions, to non-human entities, such as animals, plants, or objects. We do this to make sense of and connect with the world around us. We also do this to reduce our loneliness and increase our social attachment. By endowing stuffed animals with human qualities, we form a relationship with them and regard them as our friends.

• Transitional objects: Transitional objects are items that children frequently use in their development, such as stuffed animals or comfort blankets. These items play an important role in children’s development. They participate in the child’s intense feelings and experiences, such as love, anger, sadness, comfort. They offer stress relief and calming effects. Children bond with these items, communicate with them, and express their emotions and daily events to them. They also assist children in moving from their reliance on their mother to their self-identity.

• Stuffed Animals as Confidants: Stuffed animals are very meaningful and significant objects during a kid's childhood. As children grow to become independent, sometimes they won't share their intense feelings with their parents, and when they need to share their feelings privately, they would choose their private best friend, the stuffed animals. Stuffed animals are then objects that are personalized into silent listeners to hear the child's feelings. Therefore, parents should not rush or pressure their children to give up their attachment to their stuffed animals. They should respect their children’s pace and readiness, and trust that they will eventually outgrow their need for them. Stuffed animals are a healthy and natural part of childhood, and they can provide many benefits for the children’s emotional well-being.

Can Stuffed Animals Feel Our Emotions?

Stuffed animals are just lifeless plush toys made with fabrics and stuffing and they can never hear us, nor understand what we are talking about, not even mention having their own feelings.
But we all know that feelings and emotions are definitely objective things. For kids, their stuffed animals are their friends, and they can listen to what the kids say, so they are the carriers of children's emotions, they share happiness together and they overcome the bad, and negative thoughts together as well. In children's eyes, their stuffed animal friends have feelings and emotions, that's because the feelings are endowed to the stuffed animal by children, so that emotion only exist between them. As a result, children believe their friends can perceive feelings.

All in all, stuffed animal "can" perceive feeling, but established on children's close bong with them, and it totally being imagination of the kids, but that indeed help with children's imagination, independence, and ability to deal with their emotion.

Is there a need to worry about children thinking stuffed animals have feelings?

There is no need to worry about children thinking stuffed animals have feelings. This is a common and natural phenomenon called anthropomorphism, which means assigning human traits to non-human entities.
Instead, anthropomorphize is not a sign of immaturity or delusion, but rather a creative and adaptive strategy that can benefit children’s emotional well-being. As long as having proper regulations and appropriate guidance by parents, stuffed animals can play a positive role in children's growth.
Most children will eventually outgrow their need for anthropomorphizing, but some may continue to do so into adulthood, especially with their pets. This is not a problem, unless it interferes with their social relationships or daily functioning.

The Importance of Stuffed Animals for Children's Psychological Development

According to Paul C Holinger M.D. Stuffed animals can play an important role in a child’s development. They can act as transitional objects or a confidants. The child forms a strong emotional bond with the stuffed animal, and treats it as if it has a life of its own. The stuffed animal provides comfort, security, and companionship to the child, and helps them deal with stress and anxiety. The child can also express their love, anger, or curiosity through the stuffed animal, and learn how to regulate their feelings. The parents should respect the child’s attachment to the stuffed animal, and not try to change or wash it without the child’s consent.
The stuffed animal is a valuable part of the child’s experience, and it can benefit their emotional well-being. If you want to support your child’s development, you might want to get them a stuffed animal that they can choose and cherish.

FAQs

What is the psychology behind plushies?

They are ought to provide warmth, comfort and softness soothing physically, and that will leads to a sense of replacement for their mother. And after days and days of being together, strong emotional bonding will be established, and then plushies will play the role of transitional objects, until children are fully capable of being independently dealing with their emotions.

Why do people with anxiety love stuffed animals?

Stuffed animals can physically help them calm down with smooth and soft fabrics and nice touching. Just like a lot of fidget toys, certain patterns of interactions can help them greatly release their pressure. There are also many stuffed animals dedicated to anxiety patients. You could click the link to learn more.

Summary

Many people, especially children, believe that their stuffed animals have feelings. They talk to them, hug them, and treat them as friends. But do stuffed animals really have feelings? The answer is not so simple, according to some psychologists, This is a common and natural phenomenon called anthropomorphism. Plush toys trigger emotional responses in us, such as empathy, affection, and comfort. Stuffed animals can also help us cope with stress, loneliness, and trauma. They can act as transitional objects that help us deal with separation and loss. They can also provide a sense of security and stability in a changing world.
Stuffed animals are not just toys, but meaningful companions that can enrich our lives. If you are looking for a stuffed animal that can make you happy, you should check out PlushThis website. They have a wide range of stuffed animals that are cute, soft, and high-quality. PlushThis is the best website for stuffed animal lovers of all ages. Visit them today and find your perfect plush friends.

Reference:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/great-kids-great-parents/201701/loveys-stuffed-animals-and-pets
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/dec/12/still-have-childhood-teddy-psychological-power-toys-we-keep

https://maygibbs.org/news/anthropomorphism-in-childrens-literature/

https://psychcentral.com/health/why-do-we-anthropomorphize

https://thewritepractice.com/anthropomorphic/

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/dec/12/still-have-childhood-teddy-psychological-power-toys-we-keep

https://time.com/6165265/stuffed-animals-anxiety-adults/

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/dec/12/still-have-childhood-teddy-psychological-power-toys-we-keep