big sparkly diamond

[Marijn]

There is a lovely big sparkly diamond on an advert for dishwasher powder, that I really love looking at. Why are humans attracted to sparkly things? Does our love of shiny glittery things serve any purpose? And are women more attracted to them than men, and if so why?

[gen2]

Beware though.
All that glisters is not gold.

[atalanta]

If we go back far enough into pre-history - ( thinking of stone-age psychology) - a sparkly sight probably represented a stretch of clean water, which would be safe to drink. Stone-age tribes , if they moved about, could not go far from sources of water.

[Marijn]

Atalanta, that's a good point. Why do women seem to be more attracted to sparkly things, than men are?

[HowardKennitby]

Relevant extract from academic treatise by Prof A Herring.

"The love, pursuit and basing of whole economies on gold is one of the more embarassing aspects of humanity", as my old tutor, Professor Austin Herring, discusses in his book ‘Shiny Shiny Look Look – The Art of Impressing Half-wits’.

[Marijn]

I just like shiny things. I don't want them to have monetary value. I particularly like the huge diamond in the dishwasher advert because it's crystal clear and reflects the light. I think atalanta's answer about it being linked to water is a good one.

[Marijn]

Could it be it's because we like eyes too, and eyes are sparkly.

[nungate]

It's probably one of those Swarowski crytals, and you could in fact buy one in one of their shops or even online. Then you'd be able to sit and look at one of your own and watch how it catches the light - I have a couple of small Swarowski animals that I have sitting on a small mirror and they really catch the eye when the sunlight hits them

[Marijn]

Thanks nungate, I have a couple of crystal animals, they're lovely.
I really like that huge diamond in the ad, if I see one made of glass, or even plastic, I'll buy one.

[RATTER15]

Men just aren't so vain, simple!

[Marijn]

I'm not talking about wearing them, Ratter. I don't wear jewellery at all. I was wondering why we're attracted to sparkly things; what the science behind the attraction is.