Our brains are wired to collect things | Daniel Krawczyk | TEDxSMU
Summary
TLDRIn this TEDx Shorts episode, neuroscientist and psychologist Daniel Krasik explores the psychology behind collecting. He explains how collecting may have originated with our hunter-gatherer ancestors as a survival mechanism and evolved into a human trait. From childhood toy collections to valuable art and sports memorabilia, collecting often reflects personal stories, culture, and shared social experiences. Krasik emphasizes that collecting isn't just about acquiring objects; it's a way to connect with others, preserve memories, and enrich our lives through shared interests and social bonding.
Takeaways
- 🧠 Collecting may be a hardwired human trait, rooted in our hunter-gatherer ancestors who needed to store food and tools for survival.
- 🧑🔬 Daniel Krasik, a neuroscientist and psychologist, explores how human memory and social behavior influence collecting.
- 🎨 Art collectors often experience a form of communication with the artist, re-encountering emotions and memories through art pieces.
- 🧒 Children are often collectors, influenced by toy marketing like GI Joe figures and Beanie Babies, where they are encouraged to 'collect them all.'
- 💼 Some collectors see their collections as investments, as seen in the 1909 Honus Wagner baseball card, which sold for $2.8 million.
- ⚾ Collecting is not just about the physical object but about the stories and history they represent, such as the connection to sports or cultural history.
- 🧩 Autobiographical memory plays a key role in collecting, as it ties personal experiences and memories to specific objects.
- 👥 Collecting can foster social connections by bonding people with shared interests and hobbies, supported by the social hormone oxytocin.
- 💡 Collections often hold personal and emotional value, enriching relationships with others through shared stories and interests.
- 💬 Collecting can create opportunities for connecting with like-minded individuals, building friendships and shared experiences.
Q & A
What is the main theme discussed by Daniel Krasik in this TEDx talk?
-Daniel Krasik discusses the psychology behind why humans collect things, explaining that collecting is likely a hardwired human trait with roots in survival and social behavior.
Why does Daniel Krasik believe early human ancestors were the first collectors?
-Krasik suggests that hunter-gatherer ancestors needed to collect and store essential resources like food and tools to ensure survival during times of scarcity, which marks the beginning of human collecting behavior.
How does collecting relate to memory and human psychology, according to the speaker?
-Collecting is linked to autobiographical memory, which helps people store personal experiences and emotions. Objects can represent significant life events, making them more meaningful and valuable.
What role does social connection play in the psychology of collecting?
-Collecting fosters social connections as people bond over shared interests. The brain experiences social rewards through oxytocin when interacting with like-minded individuals, which makes collecting a communal activity.
How does Daniel Krasik explain the artistic aspect of collecting?
-Krasik notes that art collectors experience a form of communication between the artist and the viewer, allowing them to re-experience emotions and reflect on cultural and personal episodes in their lives.
What is the significance of the 1909 Honus Wagner baseball card in the talk?
-The 1909 Honus Wagner baseball card, purchased by Wayne Gretzky and Bruce McNall, is used as an example of how collecting can serve as an investment and a way to connect with sports history and human stories.
Why does the speaker encourage people not to immediately label someone a hoarder?
-Krasik advises not to rush into labeling someone a hoarder because their collection might hold deep personal and autobiographical significance, which makes their possessions valuable in unique ways.
How does the speaker suggest people should approach their collections?
-The speaker encourages people to engage in collecting, enjoy the thrill of acquiring items, and use it as an opportunity to connect with others who share similar hobbies, enhancing their social life and well-being.
What psychological reward does collecting provide, according to Daniel Krasik?
-Collecting provides a sense of accomplishment, personal satisfaction, and social bonding. It taps into the brain’s reward system, especially when acquiring new items or connecting with others who share similar interests.
What advice does the speaker give to those who want to start or enhance their collections?
-Krasik advises people to actively pursue their collecting passions, explore platforms like eBay to find items, and engage with others who have similar interests to enrich their lives and form meaningful connections.
Outlines
🧠 The Psychology of Collecting: A Human Trait
In this segment, host Tosa Leone introduces Daniel Krasik, a neuroscientist and psychologist, who explains the psychology behind why humans collect items. Krasik discusses how collecting has deep evolutionary roots, linking it to survival strategies of our hunter-gatherer ancestors who needed to store food and tools. This behavior, he suggests, is a hardwired trait. Collecting, once crucial for survival, has evolved into a cultural and emotional activity that reflects human memory, reasoning, and societal values.
🧑🎨 Art and Toys: Emotional Connections and Cultural Reflection
Krasik delves into the emotional and cultural dimensions of collecting. He discusses how art collectors engage in a communication between artist and viewer, re-experiencing emotions through the artwork. He also highlights how toy lines like G.I. Joe and Beanie Babies capitalize on this human urge to 'collect them all,' particularly in children. This phenomenon not only shapes childhood but also reflects the cultural values of the time, connecting people to both personal and collective memories.
💸 Collecting as Investment: From Hockey to History
Krasik shifts focus to adult collecting, which often amplifies into investment ventures. He shares the story of Wayne Gretzky and Bruce McNall purchasing a 1909 Honus Wagner baseball card, now valued at $2.8 million, to illustrate how collecting can represent more than just monetary value. The card encapsulates baseball, sports history, and the human stories behind these objects, demonstrating how autobiographical memory plays a significant role in why we collect.
🤝 Social Bonds and the Psychological Rewards of Collecting
The psychology of collecting also involves social connections. Krasik explains how like-minded collectors experience social rewards through shared hobbies, driven by the hormone oxytocin. These bonds help individuals form meaningful connections with others, leading to deeper interpersonal relationships. He advises viewers to appreciate the personal stories behind collections rather than viewing them as clutter, suggesting that these objects hold autobiographical memories.
🎯 Collecting: A Thrilling and Enriching Experience
Krasik wraps up by encouraging viewers to explore the thrill of collecting through platforms like eBay and to embrace the excitement of winning an auction. He underscores that collecting is not only about acquiring objects but also about forging connections with others who share similar interests. This hobby, he argues, can enrich one’s life by fostering friendships and offering emotional fulfillment.
🎤 Thank You and Explore More TEDx Talks
In the final segment, Tosa Leone concludes the talk, thanking the TEDxSMU team for organizing the event. She encourages viewers to explore more TEDx talks on YouTube, reinforcing TED's mission of spreading impactful ideas globally.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Collecting
💡Hunter-gatherers
💡Autobiographical memory
💡Oxytocin
💡Investment
💡Art
💡Social rewards
💡Cultural significance
💡Emotional connection
💡Hoarding
Highlights
The psychology behind collecting is explored as a hardwired human trait, possibly linked to survival needs from our hunter-gatherer ancestors.
Collecting helped our ancestors survive by storing food and useful tools for future use, showcasing the deep evolutionary roots of the behavior.
Collecting is more than just a hobby; it serves as a form of autobiographical memory, connecting us to personal experiences and moments.
Art collecting is both an emotional and intellectual experience, creating a dialogue between the artist and the viewer, and reflecting cultural values.
Children are natural collectors, often motivated by the marketing phrase 'collect them all,' which turns toys into desirable, collectible items.
Toy companies have capitalized on children's innate desire to collect, with popular items like GI Joe figures and Beanie Babies driving this impulse.
Adults continue the collecting behavior, often to a more exaggerated degree, as seen in valuable items like the $2.8 million Honus Wagner baseball card.
Collecting can become an investment, with certain items appreciating in value due to their historical significance and emotional stories.
The value of collectibles is tied to their representation of history, culture, and personal stories, enhancing their appeal.
Autobiographical memory plays a key role in why we collect, as we associate objects with important life events and personal milestones.
The social aspect of collecting is emphasized, with oxytocin levels rising when we connect with like-minded individuals who share similar interests.
Collecting helps foster social bonds, allowing people to connect over shared hobbies and interests, leading to meaningful relationships.
Collecting is an activity that enriches life by offering both emotional satisfaction and social connection, encouraging personal storytelling.
Instead of labeling clutter as hoarding, people should be encouraged to explore the personal stories and memories tied to a collection.
The act of winning an auction or finding a rare collectible brings a sense of accomplishment and excitement, further fueling the desire to collect.
Transcripts
a quick new idea daily from the world's
greatest tedx talks
i'm your host tosa leone and this
is tedx shorts
from baseball cards to antique furniture
most of us have amassed a collection of
some kind
daniel krasik explains the psychology
behind why we collect
daniel is a neuroscientist psychologist
and professor of behavioral and brain
sciences at the university of texas at
dallas
today he explores several theories to
argue that collecting is a hardwired
human trait
i'm a experimental psychologist i get to
study how we remember how we think and
how we reason
i'm also a brain researcher i like to
study how the brain's structure enables
its functions and lastly i like to
collect things i'm a collector so if we
think about humans probably the first
collectors would have been our
hunter-gatherer ancestors and that would
have been critical for survival so being
a hunter or gatherer you would need
to save food save for a rainy day or if
you had useful tools now it's important
to keep them and carry them with you
thus beginning the human need to pull
around a u-haul trailer everywhere we go
probably starts there and to do that
behavior which probably saved our
ancestors in the past
because you would have what you need
later you have to be able to store
episodes in time so collecting may have
really saved our species in the past
it's more than just a hobby
art collectors
are hobbyists and collectors and part of
art is a communication between the
artist and uh the viewer and so we can
re-experience those emotions again very
abstract and interesting ways that we
can encode and think about episodes in
our lives
children are collectors you might have
heard the phrase collect them all you
might have collected gi joe figures or
cabbage patch dolls or beanie babies
some of the most successful toy lines
have capitalized on this idea if you
have one
this beautiful packaging suggests
there's all these other ones and
wouldn't it be great to get these and so
this was a big part of my childhood and
my kids childhoods and so it's just a
big part of our lives when we're young
so it's not only artistic it says
something about the culture at that time
some of us continue to be collectors as
adults and it becomes much more
embellished and
amplified in adults so
back in 1991 wayne gretzky the hockey
star and bruce mcnall the owner of the
la kings who had acquired gretzky in a
famous trade had bought a hoeness wagner
baseball card from 1909. this was
interesting
it was made the news uh that card is now
worth 2.8 million dollars at its last
trade so collecting can be purely an
investment we can take value to an
extreme like no other species it's not
just a card it's a representation of
baseball history sports history and it's
the human story behind these objects
that we can appreciate and adds to their
values autobiographical memory is one of
the major features of human memory it's
the situations that happen to us
our early birthdays our weddings the
birth of our children so that's one of
the last reasons that we
really collect and it's connecting with
other people who are like-minded
our brains are very social we have
social rewards we experience the reward
of being around other people and we have
a hormone called oxytocin oxytocin
elevates when we're around like-minded
individuals in groups as a social
psychologist would say and so we can
bond over these weird wonderful
interesting facts that all of us share
so
when you go to your
relative or friend's house and it's just
too cluttered don't call the
psychologist just yet to complain that
they might be a hoarder instead ask them
about their collection you might find
that there's an interesting personal
story autobiographical details about
these objects and then we can elevate
value to such a tremendous degree
because we integrate memories into these
different objects so my advice would be
collect things go on ebay and experience
that thrill of
the rush when you when you win an
auction it's a great thing and
also connect with others discuss your
hobbies with other people and you'll
probably find that you can make friends
and have interesting connections it will
enrich your life
[Music]
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thanks to the organizing team at tedx
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