We all had a favorite teddy bear as a child. The “official” teddy bear, the one who followed us everywhere, who dried our tears and accompanied our joys. “I remember, mine had green pants,” smiles Agathe, 32. I have no idea what became of him. It smelled great, its smell reassured me… I took it everywhere I went. And when I lost it, I burst out of fits not possible! “When Lucas, 7, misplaces his cuddly toy, it’s “a big mess”, confirms Lisa, his mother. “He sleeps with it, he consoles himself with it, he talks to it! He looks like he’s 120 so worn, but he loves it! »
The relationship we weave with these stuffed animals is so mysterious that scientists from the south of France have tried to unlock its secrets. During the Researchers’ Night, in 2019, a thousand people from 13 major cities in France, aged 3 to 72, agreed to take part in an experiment aimed at understanding why we love these bear cubs so much. Each came with the stuffed animal from their childhood, and was confronted with other teddy bears, whom they were seeing for the first time. The results of this vast project were published on January 30, in the very serious Journal of positive psychology.
The bond that binds us to a teddy bear “can last throughout our lives”
The first lesson of this study is that the best cuddly toy is ours. And not that of others. “The predominant factor of comfort in a teddy bear is the emotional bond that we share with him, confides Anne-Sophie Tribot, one of the authors of the study, researcher at the University of Aix-Marseille. The most comforting is therefore our own plush toy. Because we shared with her, of course, many episodes of our history. This bond can also last throughout our lives. Some adults have kept the teddy bears of their childhood with them. These stuffed animals retain, years and years later, the power to comfort them. »
But the most interesting, in this funny study, is the robot portrait of the ideal teddy bear, which was drawn up by the researchers. Faced with stuffed animals that were not theirs, the majority of participants in this extraordinary scientific experiment spontaneously attached themselves to teddy bears with specific characteristics. “What is important is that they are big enough to be hugged and hugged, and that they are soft to the touch,” explains Nathalie Blanc, professor of psychology at Paul-Paul University. Valéry, in Montpellier, and co-author of the study.
Whatever, “the bear is timeless!” »
His hair should be neither too long nor too short. “Being pleasant to look at” is also important, notes Anne-Sophie Tribot. And contrary to what the researchers thought, the smile does not matter in a stuffed animal. “Before starting the work, we said to ourselves that there was a good chance that a smile would make the bears score points. And in fact, no. Like the fact, moreover, of having big eyes, or a big head, “says Thierry Brassac, scientific mediator at the University of Montpellier, who has been working for years on this link we have with our stuffed animals. .
The most amazing thing is that this robot portrait is the same, regardless of the age or gender of the participants. “Everyone was sensitive to the same characteristics, notes Nicolas Mouquet, scientific director at the CNRS. I expected children to be attracted to more original stuffed animals. Absolutely not ! They are completely okay with older people. The bear is timeless! On the other hand, for our stuffed animals, it is no longer a question of characteristics. We love them, that’s all. Even if they are ugly, or ravaged by the years. “The link to our bear is total, and is not linked to any morphological traits”, notes Nicolas Mouquet.
“The teddy bear is always a positive trigger! »
This study is far from being a game. By determining the perfect comforting bear, the results of this experiment can allow establishments welcoming children, such as hospitals or schools, to surround them with stuffed animals that they will love. on. “Obviously, you can’t go to the hospital with your own teddy bear, for hygienic reasons, confides Nathalie Blanc. This study can allow establishments to equip themselves with cubs whose features are appreciated by everyone. »
Nicolas Mouquet sees even further. “The teddy bear always triggers something positive,” he confides. Recently, we hosted international researchers for a week. A very intense week. I made bears available to them in one of the rooms where they work. At the end of the week, all had been largely manipulated, some even completely monopolized them! It soothes, it completely de-dramatizes situations. Perhaps some should be distributed at the COP. Or to the National Assembly! These researchers have already planned to continue their investigation in pursuit of the ideal teddy bear. New studies will be launched to find out whether or not we are attracted to comforters whose appearance is similar to real animals.