Science at UM [S02-ep16]: From peluchology to flatsat and hackathons

[Podcast] - Published on February 16, 2023 in Research Centers, Science-Society, Research Structures

This week, Thierry Brassac, science mediator at the University of Montpellier, reveals the secret behind the comforting power of stuffed animals. Our report takes you to the university space center to discover a flatsat. Finally, Eric Servat, director of the UNESCO Icireward water center, launches the Water4futur hackathon. The program is broadcast on Divergence FM-93.9 every Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Since birth, a rabbit has been the right-hand man of Elodie's son and Caroline's daughter, while Maxime's bed is inhabited by a donkey, a lamb, and a bear. As for Anouk, don't even think about taking her to school without her beaver—a meltdown is guaranteed! When he was little, Patrick's favorite was a blue dog that carried his pajamas, while Gabriel's comfort blanket was none other than a deer named Coquelicot. Attracted by the wide open spaces, Norian carried a penguin with him, while Marie never fell asleep without her Bibiphoque. David swore by his giraffe, and Nicolas truly loved his monkey Chocolat. As for me, it was to console myself for the painful loss of my cat that I acquired my last stuffed animal, a flamboyant fox about thirty centimeters tall, made of particularly soft and comforting orange and white velvet... That was two years ago!

Whether they are bears, foxes, seals, or even lobsters or octopuses, almost all of us have fond memories of these first companions who, although inanimate, were able to comfort us in our childhood and sometimes even adult sorrows. In "grown-up" language, this is called a transitional object. But where does this comforting power of stuffed animals come from? 

This is the difficult question that a multidisciplinary team of researchers—biologists, psychologists, ecologists, biostatisticians, and science communicators from the University of Montpellier, Paul-Valery University, and Aix Marseille University—set out to answer. They developed an experimental protocol inspired by natural sciences and cognitive psychology to create a composite sketch of France's most comforting teddy bear and attempt to understand the mechanisms behind this attachment through a participatory study involving nearly a thousand participants. They recently published their study in The Journal of Positive Psychology.

Our guest Thierry Brassac is a science mediator at the University of Montpellier's science culture department, and has been coordinating this study for many years.

In the second part of the program, we remain in the realm of children's dreams by taking you to the Montpellier University Space Center, where Pablo Boizeau introduces us to a flatsat.

Our last-minute guest this week is Eric Servat, director of the UNESCO Icireward Water Center, who will be talking to us about the Water4futur Hackathon taking place in Montpellier on February 16 and 17.

At UM Science, you have the program, so let's get started!

Co-production: Divergence FM / University of Montpellier
Host: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Interview: Lucie Lecherbonnier / Aline Périault
Reporting and editing: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Production: Naomi Charmetan

Listen to the program “A l’UM la science” on Divergence FM 93.9

Keywords: Science at UM, Research, Science, Company