A phone charger is about as functional as an object can get. It has one job: charge the phone. Yet some people refuse to leave theirs looking ordinary. They add tiny cartoon animals, flowers, fruit, colorful spirals or elaborate cable protectors, turning an otherwise forgettable white wire into something immediately recognizable. On the surface, the explanation seems simple: the protectors look cute and may help protect the cable. Consumer psychology, however, offers a more interesting possibility. Research on the Extended Self, self-expressive customization, identity expression and cute product design suggests that people can use even mundane possessions to communicate preferences and make their environments feel more personally theirs.
