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Sympathetic magic and attachment theory enable the drawing of a parallel between functions of material possessions that are used in the absence of parents and a romantic partner. The ascribing of magical significance to objects may be a coping strategy facilitated by dispositional anxieties and situational threats. The aim of this research was to examine whether romantic magical thinking (MT) comforts individuals by regulating the perceived distance from a loved one. Study 1 confirmed that perceived closeness mediated the positive association between MT and safe/relaxed emotions. Study 2 revealed that induced MT about a partner’s photograph resulted in increased feelings of this person’s presence, which mediated the link between MT and safe/relaxed emotions. The coping potential of MT is discussed.

This paper describes the development and construct validation of the Romantic Sympathetic Magic Scale (RSMS). The scale measures individual differences in directing attachment behavior toward inanimate objects associated with one's partner. We offer a theoretical basis for such behavior in the concept of sympathetic magic and test the motivational and cognitive factors involved in this tendency. Finally, we differentiate romantic sympathetic magic from similar concepts. Three studies (N = 851) showed that RSMS is related to increased experientiality as well as to motivation to increase closeness to one's partner. The RSMS is related to, but substantially different from, paranormal beliefs, anthropomorphism for gadgets, and an overall attachment to inanimate objects. The distinctive feature of romantic sympathetic magic is that it applies specifically to objects associated with people's loved ones and its function is to facilitate a perceived connection with them. This research contributes to our understanding of the correspondence between personal relationships and emotional connection to inanimate objects.Keywords romantic relationship . sympathetic magic . inanimate object . keepsake . individual differencesThe closer our relationships are with objects, the closer our relationships are with people.Daniel Miller (2008, p. 1)What can we learn about an individual from his or her relationship to material possessions? To answer this question, anthropologists-Daniel Miller and Fiona Parrot (Miller 2008)-interviewed residents of a random street in South London, analyzing how belongings reflect the personality and life history of their owners. As a result, the authors created portraits of people whose relationships to things varied widely: from complete detachment, through instrumental use of artifacts, to one noticeable instance of a profound and intimate attachment of an owner to his or her cherished possession. To some people, inanimate objects such as photographs, jewelry, clothes, and family keepsakes are much more than mere representations or recollections of their loved ones. Symptomatically, Miller (2008) observed that the closer the connection between people, the closer the relationship to objects associated with those people. Yet, in psychology, there is surprisingly little empirical support for this effect. Recent studies have even demonstrated the opposite, showing that the more people's loved ones are unreliable and disappointing, the more their attachment is redirected toward inanimate objects (Keefer et al. 2012;Pieters 2013). This paper aims to provide a theoretical and empirical understanding of the processes involved in attachment to inanimate objects that parallels the maintenance of closeness in social relationships.We propose that the sympathetic magical thinking (Frazer 1925;Rozin and Nemeroff 2002) involved in the perception of inanimate objects associated with one's romantic partner elicits a sense that these objects contain some qualities of the partner. Thus, the more people need to ...

Prior research has often limited the coping potential of inanimate objects to being cues for nostalgia. This article proposes that, due to an unavoidable separation from a loved one, individuals might adhere to an intuitive view that their loved one remains present in inanimate objects associated with him or her. Directing attachment behavior to inanimate objects associated with a loved one can be an effective strategy for maintaining subjective closeness to the partner. In Study 1, participants who imagined being trapped on a deserted island (vs. being together) were more likely to express both attachment to a photograph of their partner and nostalgia. Nostalgia, however, led to the anticipation that having the photograph would exacerbate the situation. Studies 2 and 3 demonstrated that adults experiencing real‐life separation were more likely than controls to direct their attachment to inanimate objects that decreased loneliness and increased closeness to one's partner. The distinctive role of attachment to inanimate objects as a coping strategy is further discussed.