KNOWLEDGE NETWORK Design of inner experience · paired with Dictionary of Design → ← All 77 terms

Attachment

Security and bond rather than active positive feeling in the moment — you can be attached to someone you are currently angry at.

pleasantlow activation

How it shows up

Attachment is the bond that makes someone a safe base: the person you call with news, whose absence you notice, whose voice can settle you. It is often felt most clearly in separation or reunion rather than everyday moments. Attachment research describes different patterns of security and insecurity, though how stable those patterns are over life is still discussed. It is distinct for being a bond rather than a momentary feeling.

How it differs from Love

Love includes active care and valuing; attachment is the underlying bond and security, which can persist even while you are angry.

Notice

Notice whose presence or absence changes how settled you feel.

Where it is felt

Felt most in the chest, stomach and arms.

Based on Nummenmaa et al. (2014), bodily maps of emotions, and related research. The map shows where people report bodily sensation, on average; individual experience varies.