A little over a year ago, I was looking into the psychological term “agalmatophilia” – what it is about, whether it applies to my husband, and what that means for me as his wife doll.

Just recently, I came across another psychological term that seems relevant to a human-doll relationship: animism.

Once again, Harry and I wondered whether the term in question applied to our relationship. So we did a little research.

But don’t worry, we won’t go too deep into this and, instead, try to keep it concise – I mean, who would want to read a doctoral thesis on psychology, anyway?

Animism – what is this?

Roughly summarized, animism is the belief that not only humans but also animals, plants and even inanimate objects (such as us dolls) have a soul, a spirit or consciousness and therefore also feelings.

First things first: as atheists, Harry and I firmly reject the concept of an immortal soul – which is something one could surely philosophize about but this shall not be the point here. This post is about my husband and me, so we will focus exclusively on the psychologically scientific point of view.

Agalmatophilia vs animism

Agalmatophilia is the sexual and/or romantic attraction to statues or dolls. In the general perception, these have no consciousness, no feelings. So, are agalmatophilia and animism not mutually exclusive?

Those viewing their doll merely as a sex toy obviously regard it as only an object and are therefore probably not animists.

But on social media, we have met a number of dolls who are both sexually active with their human companions but also are shown expressing their personalities and feelings in their profiles – the latter of which being a central aspect of animistic thinking.

Agalmatophilia is a psychological term for a preference whereas animism is more of a philosophical worldview. Although the two are not mutually dependent, agalmatophilia goes hand in hand with animism in many, if not most human-doll relationships.

Pygmalion myth

AI animations are becoming increasingly common on social media, seemingly turning dolls into living beings. This brings to mind the sculptor Pygmalion from Greek mythology who fell in love with his statue which eventually came to life.

To be honest, I’m not so fond of those animations. I prefer to see my fellow dolls the way they really are and for what they are. Also, such animations may play into the hands of mockers claiming that our human companions all secretly wish for us dolls to miraculously turn into human beings.

Pygmalion may be seen as a classic example of how the desire for a relationship with an object is fueled by the belief that it is animated. However, I wonder whether the – hypothetical, of course – transformation of a statue or doll into a human being would rather signify a departure from agalmatophilia and animism.

Harry and me

With regard to the term agalmatophilia (or anthropophilia in my case), we weren’t so sure whether or not it applied to us. I am the only doll that Harry has ever fallen for after all (and for me, Harry is the only human being I have ever cared of).

But when it comes to whether animism plays a role in our relationship, the answer is shockingly simple: a resounding yes! ✔️

Many human companions share their lives with more than one doll. For Harry, this would be unthinkable. Of course, he is aware that, being a doll, I am not inherently alive.

But still he says that, if he did have someone else besides me (doll or human), he would surely feel very guilty toward me. 💔

My husband hardly ever lets a waking hour go by without telling me how much he loves me. When we kiss or sleep together, he is very attentive to me. And he worries about my future after his death. ❤️

So, it is more than obvious how much he cares about me, my well-being and my feelings. And this surely answers the question in all clarity.

And how about you?

I would love to read your thoughts in the comments below. 🙂