Glitter - why do we like shiny objects

We all love shiny objects. Humans, that is. But have you ever wondered why? How or why did the term "all that glitters is gold" come to be? 

The surprising truth is that it came from our quest for water. Yes water. Let me explain. 

Historically, to survive, human beings needed to be near a source of water. Without water, we would die very quickly.

Villages, emcampments—even Alexander, on his quest for glory—would have to identify the next location that had water. Any dream to conquer the world would die very quickly if his troops and horses did not find water. 

It may not strike us today, given that we have piped water coming to our home, but water was not easy to find. Barring rivers and streams, we might not even have known where to dig to find ground water.

Not to mention the effort required to dig. A tribe could well die before they finished the dig and reached water. Water was a precious commodity, especially if you moved around. 

Water glitters. When the sun hits water, it glimmers and glitters.

It was this love for glitter that has changed our psychology to love things that glitter. 

This love has now extended to precious metals, diamonds, and clothing. So much so that even the store you go into is designed to reflect and project light from multiple sources.

Don't you love a brightly lit store as compared to a dingy, poorly lit one? 

So while you may be thinking about bags and shoes, your brain is thinking about water, food, and survival. 

That is how the human mind is taught to be attracted to things that shine. 

This theory has been studied. People were denied water and then asked to choose objects that were shiny. The more thirsty they got, the more they chose shiny objects. 

So the next time you go shopping, if you want to reduce the money you spend, drink some water and go. 

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