The "oh no, it's new" effect
Have you ever noticed how irrationally overprotective we are over new possessions when we get them? It doesn’t even seem to matter how expensive or how fragile the object is. For some reason during the first few days or weeks, we act as if that new toy or gadget, is made of glass. The strangest part about this condition, which I am dubbing “The ‘Oh no, it’s new’ Effect”, is that after a short time the protective nature is replaced by an almost negligent behavior towards the possession. Take for instance, my new MacBook Pro.
As of right now, I’m nurturing my little baby: setting it down on desks carefully, making sure to not jam cables into the ports, closing the lid gently, and just generally trying to take care of it. The thing is, in a few weeks I’m not even going to think twice about plopping it down on my desk, throwing across the room onto my bed, or sliding it across a table to better position it. None of that will matter. Which begs the question, why does it even matter now.
The same thing happened with my iPhone. For the first two weeks I had it in a case and was afraid of it getting scratched. Now I never use a case, I’ll set it on any surface around me, I throw it around when I’m bored, and I drop it all the time with no worries (at least not when it’s on a carpeted floor).
Why do I even bother being so protective now if I’m going to care less later on. I mean, if I will be completely comfortable throwing something around and getting it all scratched up later on down the road, then what’s the real harm in putting a few scratches in it right away. It’s not like it loses function with every scratch.
It’s a question that I’ve been pondering over since earlier this evening when I took a sharp turn in my car and, almost in a panic, flung my hand out to stabilize the MacBook Pro sitting in the passenger seat. Do we act this way simply because we like to keep new things new? Do we do it because we just haven’t yet tested the durability of our new possession? Or is it just some weird behavior that we all share?
posted by Christopher Schnese
View Comments
I can’t answer your questions, but your description of this effect can’t be more accurate. I almost take pleasure in seeing my old camera get scratched. It’s worrying
It’s good that you care about it and I’m sure you still care even after those first few weeks. That first scratch will upset you but I can bet that if it’s someone else making the first mark on it you’ll be incandescent with rage! We all do it and I think if it’s new you are more concerned because other people may want to look at your new toy, and they’ll think you’re careless if there are scratches on it.
I’ve seen people driving around in new cars with the plastic covering on the seats still – you can take care to a whole new level if you wish – just enjoy the thing and try not to break it.
Have you given it a name yet??
@Jonathan : You take pleasure in scratching it? lol, that is a bit worrying. Maybe you should get that checked out, hahaha.
@moo: I don’t exactly name my computers like your average person might. My drive volumes are always named according to what they’re for (i.e. Macintosh HD, Storage HD, Media HD…) and the computer appears on the network as it’s model name with ‘Mi’ attached to the beginning of it to differentiate from anyone else’ similar model on the network (i.e. ‘MiMacBook Pro’, which I pronounce ‘My MacBook Pro’)
I think we, as human beings, are just fascinated with newness. We want to preserve the shiny look and fresh smell for as long as we can. Once that newness wears off, so does our interest in preservation.
@mDot: Yes, and the first blemish will do the job.
New toys are like babies… you coddle and protect them until you realize they are more durable than you first thought. Just like you aren’t going to throw a newborn in the air and try and catch it, once your ‘baby’ get’s to the toddler stage, you are going to be less worried about braking it simple because it has already had self inflicted injuries and lived to tell the tale.
Even more so, if you are the one that had to pay for the purchase you will want to get the most out of your money by keeping things in the best possible condition. Soon enough though, as you stated, you will realized that being rougher doesn’t necessarily mean you are abusing it or that it won’t last as long.
Enjoy your new baby before it gets to the terrible twos and you feel the need to replace it with a younger model.