We often choose places because they are meaningful to us. Not hugely surprising. But what’s important for destinations is that emotional attachment can outweigh other factors. We can subconsciously favour them, discount other options or ignore flaws. Where we live, where we want to socialise and where we want to go on holiday – our preference is often influenced by bias. By an automatic, intuitive response, known as the Place Attachment bias.

But a strong attachment can also make us resistant to change, ignore problems or stay in places that no longer serve us. Think people refusing to move out of unfit homes as a new development takes shape around them.

A place attachment is formed through the interaction between emotion and repetition. Emotion gives a place initial weight in your memory, influencing what gets encoded more strongly to create a mental map.

Repetition makes things habitual and gives the memory durability, strengthening the neural pathways.

What’s useful for placemakers is that, while place attachment builds over time, it can also take hold quickly through emotionally charged experiences – events, concerts, culture, food and drink, human connection. 

Even a one off event can create a strong sense of connection if it resonates on an emotional, human level. We remember places through the moments that stand out, how they made us feel and the people we were with. Episodic memories are not just about what happened and when, but the brain needs the ‘where’ bit for successful encoding.

So, place attachment is a multidimensional connection
Emotional – how the place makes you feel
Social – the people involved in the memories
Cognitive – the visual map and how to navigate it
Behavioural – the routines and actions it shapes

What’s more, place is baked into our identity and sense of self. No wonder we get emotionally attached. We’ll explore that next time…