The Micro-Comfort Zone, my first intervention, investigated how familiar textures, smells, and personal items could provide emotional comfort and possibly lessen homesickness in overseas students. Place Attachment Theory (Scannell & Gifford, 2010), which examines the emotional bonds people make with locations, served as the basis for this strategy. The intervention did, however, also draw attention to a drawback: the consoling experience was limited to a particular physical setting. This made me wonder if it would be possible to transfer mental comfort from a stationary location to a transportable item.
Winnicott’s (1953) Transitional Object Theory, which explores how familiar things can offer emotional comfort during separation, provided more guidance for the transition. Furthermore, studies on Olfactory Autobiographical Memory (Chu & Downes, 2000; Herz & Schooler, 2002) indicate that smells may trigger emotionally charged memories. These beliefs inspired me to investigate the ways in which touch, smell, and emotional attachment could cooperate to replicate aspects of the initial comfort zone in a portable format.
Through this approach, my intervention progressively evolved into a 10cm scented plush doll that combined gentle tactile engagement with well-known aromas. Because of its compact size, students can carry it with them everyplace they go, which may offer some solace when homesickness strikes. The design of a portable sensory companion has replaced the creation of a physical comfort zone. My next intervention will look into whether this mix of sensory stimuli can significantly reduce homesickness in international students.
References
1. Place Attachment Theory
Scannell, L. and Gifford, R. (2010) ‘Defining place attachment: A tripartite organizing framework’, Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(1), pp. 1–10.
2. Transitional Object Theory
Winnicott, D.W. (1953) ‘Transitional objects and transitional phenomena: A study of the first not-me possession’, International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, 34, pp. 89–97.
3. Olfactory Autobiographical Memory
Chu, S. and Downes, J.J. (2000) ‘Odour-evoked autobiographical memories: Psychological investigations of Proustian phenomena’, Chemical Senses, 25(1), pp. 111–116.
4. Scent and Emotional Memory
Herz, R.S. and Schooler, J.W. (2002) ‘A naturalistic study of autobiographical memories evoked by olfactory and visual cues: Testing the Proustian hypothesis’, American Journal of Psychology, 115(1), pp. 21–32.
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