8 Reasons Why We Are Emotionally Attached To Our Mugs

"One of the great powers of the cup, the simple cup, is that it immediately enters the viewer’s most intimate zone. The cup right away develops a level of intimacy that we would reserve for a lover…not for a stranger." - Pete Pinnell.

Well, I couldn’t really agree any less than the quote above. We are attached to our mug just the same way as we are attached to our coffee or tea. It becomes part of our daily routine.

According to a survey by the Heinz company 60% of people reported as having an emotional attachment to a preferred mug. About 40% said their mug was irreplaceable and holds a special position, and about one-third said they would be distressed if their mug broke.

A cup can hold a significant meaning for us. It can be a memory or a quote we would like to see every day.

Trust me, despite knowingly or unknowingly we all have a special mug we always use. It is a scientifically proven fact that we all have the tendency to get attached to our mugs or cups. Here are few of the following psychological reasons why one tends to do so:

1. Sense of ownership

I remember the time when I use to fight with my siblings for touching my things. I still have the same feeling when someone is using my mug. Why? Because I feel it’s something personal to me. Science couldn’t agree more to it; our mugs do give us a sense of personal ownership.

Ownership is strongly linked to pride. When you know you fully own something, you just feel intimate with it and you want people to know about it. It is not just a mug anymore it is your pride and joy. It’s different than owning your new cellphone. Cellphones come and go but our favorite coffee mug always remains the same and is irreplaceable. It gives you a sense of uniqueness, a distinction from others that we all crave for at one point. It’s your me time.

2. Memories

It’s a beautiful memory. I still have my mug which was gifted to me by my high school best friend. Every time I look at it, it reminds me of her and it never fails to pull a smile on my face.

At first glance, your coffee mug may seem like something that is just like a random cup. It is not, though. Coffee cup holds memories and feeling of fondness that are indescribable to anyone else. It reminds you of that intimate special moment that is yours and yours alone to cherish and behold. Those moments just don’t stick to gifts only but a fun conversation you had with your friends when you were sipping from that coffee cup or the color remind you of something. It can be any memory but it is your alone.

3. Conveys attitude

Your mug can convey a personal message. It shows your simple attitude. How you love a certain quote and you print it on a mug or your get a mug with a quote that is just so relatable. I have a mug with a quote on and I love to read it every morning, it just reminds me of what is important.

Even if you consider yourself impartial from all those activities, you are not truly prone to it. We all judge people based on their appearances one way or another. For instance, if someone loves to wear a flashy necklace, you might associate their personality with boldness or edginess. Your mug can deliver the same feels. It can just be the color or a quote was written on it, that can deliver so much of our personality.

4. Makes you feel at home

With so many memories and history of endless coffee or tea. Your mug never fails to make you feel at home even when you are far away from home. It always reminds you of your loved ones and it smells just like home. It’s my key to fight homesickness and trust me just sipping through it and holding it in my hands really does make me feel comfortable.

5. Special purpose

Each mug holds a special purpose and place. It is not necessary that you should have only one cup that you are close to. You can be close to more than one mug. For instance, I have a separate mug for tea and coffee. No matter what happens I never mix their jobs.

6. It will never leave you

You make and lose connection in your life. But the connection with your cup always remains the same. Like I said it’s irreplaceable. Not only is it our forever but it also reminds us of the all the people we cannot get to meet in this busy time. Even after a bad or emotional day you mug never fails to bring your comfort and gives you the strength to go through the rest of the day. For me, it reminds me of what’s constant and the message on it gives me strength and hope. I refuse to throw my coffee mug away even if its cracked or damaged because it just holds a special place in my heart that I really don’t want to lose. It’s a connection to so many people that I can’t get to meet.  It is very personal to me.

7. Lucky charm

Ever feel something missing when you don’t drink coffee from YOUR mug? I do, all the time. I am not my 100% if I don’t drink from my cup of coffee. My whole day is not 100% either because something just feels incomplete. I call my coffee mug “mu lucky charm” because I really do need my coffee in MY mug to be 100% other than that it’s job not done right. I just make sure I don’t break my morning pattern on important days that require my 100% energy. To avoid such a mess, I always keep my mug with me, to me it’s like keeping my energy with me. It’s an addiction without cure or love without bounds.

8. It contains your favorite beverage

Coffee is the most famous beverage after water. Almost everyone you meet is addicted to coffee on one level or another. Not only that, there is a specific time for each take as well. One of the reasons why we love our mugs is because it holds pour the favorite beverage. It contains one thing that is our love of life forever. Something we like to kiss every morning. So it’s really obvious when we get attached to our mug because we always fall in love with things that support our love. The mug is a mutual love. It’s a connection between coffee and us. It holds our warm drink and just makes it so easy for us to enjoy it. With its joy and colors, it doubles the flavor and we love to savor the drink.

A new research has shown that your mug can have a great impact on the taste of the flavor. If you are hating your coffee don’t blame it on the taste. The color of the mug shows how sweet or bitter your coffee may taste in the morning.

Isn’t surprising it?

Well, I have a few more interesting facts about coffee mugs that you would be shocked to know.

• The first mug was made of bone which was found in Neolithic Stone Age.
• The first pottery mug was made in 10,000 BCE which first came from China and Japan.
• Greece designed first Clay-made mugs around 4,000-5,000 BCE. The biggest shortcoming of those clay cups was thick walls unable to fit drinker’s mouth.
• The word “mug” was first used to for a prisoner or a person headshot. In the 18th century, drinking vessels were first called “mug” because it resembled the same shape as the person's head.
• Starting from roughly 2,000 BCE metal mugs were fashioned from bronze, silver, gold and even lead, and were used to hold hot drinks.
• Wooden liquid vessels were produced possibly from the ancient time, but most of them could not be saved to the present time. So, we are unable to know the exact time and its shape.
• Around 600 BCE with the invention of porcelain, a new generation of mugs came into being which is still widely used today.
• There is no record of when mug was called a “coffee mug”. 
• Coffee cups are usually designed with thick walls. This insulates the liquid and keeps the drink warmer for some period of time.

Interesting, isn’t it? Perhaps now when you sip from your coffee mug you would probably feel more attached since you know more about it.