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Do you have an impressive sneaker collection? You have turned the room into a real winter garden — do you have so many plants? Experts explain why collecting is so comforting to many of us, especially Gen Ys.
What people don’t collect: comic books, shoes, dolls, bags, postcards. Millennials—those born between 1982 and 2004—have this trait even more than others: Generation X is only second in this ranking, with Baby Boomers first.
Of course, people collected coins, stamps and books half a century and a century ago, but perhaps there is something that distinguishes today’s «collectors»? Let’s try to figure it out.
Nostalgia and «bridge to childhood»
“One of the reasons people collect things is nostalgia and the ability to feel connected to something or even someone important to them,” says psychotherapist Rachel Thomasian.
During the pandemic, many of us remembered the activities we enjoyed as children. Millennials, for example, stocked up on puzzles and pulled out old video game consoles. “Many of us felt the need to touch our childhood,” comments clinical psychologist Jocelyn McDonnell. “Millenials, when they were growing up, collected Pokémon or Athlete cards, and in the last couple of years, they’ve revisited their hobbies.”
Feeling powerful and feeling successful
“For some people, the fact that they managed to collect a complete collection of something really excites and makes them feel like they have achieved something,” Tomasyan explains. “Especially those of us who grew up in difficult times and whose parents could not buy everything they wanted. In addition, right now, due to a number of circumstances, achievements in other areas have become less possible for some of us: many cannot buy an apartment or a car, but it’s quite possible to finish the collection started in childhood.”
“It’s also so nice to know that right now you can afford to buy everything that you dreamed of as a child,” adds McDonnell.
Hope for a prosperous future
“First of all, collecting helps to emotionally return to those times when everything was easier, and a happy future loomed ahead,” says psychotherapist Jenny Maenpaa. “Well, besides, it implies a certain optimism: no matter what happens tomorrow, how many new responsibilities will fall on you, you are sure that in any case you will find time to replenish your collection, to do what is pleasant and important for you.”
Seeking comfort and control
“We all have the instinct of possession – its satisfaction helps us feel calmer and safer, and this is so important in these turbulent times,” says neurology professor Shirley Mueller. “Many of us want to regain the sense of control we have lost due to the pandemic, and building and maintaining a collection is helping us achieve that.”
Research shows that adding to the collection can activate the pleasure center in our brain, which is why such a hobby returns us to a state of peace and stability.
Ability to feel connected to others
“Collecting helps us feel like part of a ‘tribe’,” explains psychotherapist Noel McDermott. “Such a hobby is intuitively read by us as belonging to a certain class: now these things are in abundance, and before only very wealthy people could afford to collect anything.”
“Their passion for millennials is driven by two desires at once: a sense of their own individuality and a desire to feel a sense of community with others,” psychotherapist Meg Gitlin is sure. — On the one hand, we declare our right to any thing, including a rare one; She is ours and only ours. On the other hand, we are happy to be members of interest groups and can share the joy of our findings with others, hear words of approval or even admiration from them.”
Form of self-expression
“The objects we choose can be our continuation, something that reflects our inner world,” says Mueller. “It’s like clothes: they not only cover our nakedness, but also tell the world who we are.”
So, for example, collecting old postcards from all over the world can speak of our love for art, history and travel. At the same time, there is always an individual story behind any collection, and the items that make it up do not mean the same to us as they do to others.”
Investment in the future
“Of course, many build their collection for sentimental and emotional motives, but some are driven by the desire to resell it in the future and make money from it,” explains psychotherapist Katherine Smerling. “Such collectors are rather entrepreneurs in spirit, they don’t get attached to things, but understand that over time certain items become rare and at least grow in price because of this.”
And, of course, collecting can also be considered an investment in your own happy future, if this process and its result cheer you up and help you cope a little better with all the difficulties and hardships that you encounter along the way.