Material culture studies

Material culture is the physical aspect of a culture in the objects and architecture that surround people. It includes usage, consumption, creation and trade of objects, and the behaviors, norms and rituals these objects create or take part in. The term is commonly used in archeological and anthropological studies, specifically focusing on the material evidence which can be attributed to culture, in the past or present. Material culture studies is an interdisciplinary field telling of relationships between people and their things: the making, history, preservation, and interpretation of objects. It draws on theory and practice from the social sciences and humanities such as art history, archaeology, anthropology, history, historic preservation, folklore, literary criticism and museum studies, among others. Anything from buildings and architectural elements to books, jewelry, or toothbrushes can be considered material culture.

Research in several areas looked into the reasons for why one would perceive an object with meaning. Common reasons for valuing material lie in their monetary value, or sentimental value. A well known related theory is Kahneman's endowment effect theory. According to Kahneman, people evaluate objects they own with higher value than the same object if they do not own it. This endowment effect was found not only to instantly occur as soon as the item is acquired, but to increase over time.

Another way in which material can hold meaning and value is by carrying communication between people, just like other communication forms, such as speech, touch and gesture. An object can mediate messages between time, or space, or both, between people who are not co-present. A work of art, for example, can transfer a message from the creator to the viewer and share an image, a feeling or an experience. Material can contain memories and mutual experiences across time and influence our thoughts and feelings. A study found that couples who have more items that were jointly acquired and more favorite items among those, had higher quality relationships.

...
Wikipedia