Humanise for Dummies

Hey there! Let's talk about the word "humanise." It's a term that might sound a little bit fancy, but I promise we can make it super easy to understand. Are you ready?

Okay, imagine you have a bunch of toy animals, like teddy bears or plastic figurines. They're cute, right? But they're not real living creatures, are they? They don't have feelings, thoughts, or actions like we do. Now, what if we made those toys seem more like humans? That's where the word "humanise" comes into play.

When we "humanise" something, we're making it more like a human being, giving it qualities and characteristics that we typically associate with people. It's like we're adding a touch of humanity to it.

Now, let me explain it in a bit more detail. "Humanise" can have a few different meanings, depending on the context:

1. Treat Something as if it were a Human:

One way to understand "humanise" is when we treat something that isn't human as if it were. For example, let's say you have a pet dog. You love and care for your dog, right? You give it food, attention, and playtime. All those things make your dog feel happy and loved.

Now, imagine if we apply that same kind of love and care to something like a robot. We talk to it, we teach it things, we give it a name, and we maybe even hug it. By doing these things, we're humanising the robot, treating it as if it were a living being, even though we know it's not.

2. Portraying People in a More Empathetic Way:

Another meaning of "humanise" is when we try to show someone as more relatable and understanding their experiences or emotions. When we see characters in movies or read stories in books, sometimes they don't feel like real people because they lack depth or realistic emotions.

But when we "humanise" those characters, we make an effort to give them more layers, more emotions, and more reasons to connect with them. We make them feel more like someone we can relate to, someone with whom we can share empathy. This helps us care about their journey and become more invested in their story.

3. Making Something More Ordinary:

Lastly, "humanise" can also mean to make something more ordinary or familiar. Let's say there's a big company that's known for providing a service or making products that feel very corporate and impersonal. They might want to humanise their brand, which means they want to add a personal touch to make their products or services feel more friendly and relatable.

They might use pictures of smiling people on their website or have customer service representatives who are genuinely helpful and understanding. By doing these things, they're trying to make themselves seem more down-to-earth, like regular people you can trust, rather than just a big, faceless company.

So, in a nutshell, "humanise" means treating something as if it were a human, making people feel more relatable, or making something more ordinary and friendly. It's all about bringing a touch of humanity, warmth, and connection to whatever we're talking about.

Hope that makes sense! So, what do you think? Did we manage to clarify what "humanise" means? Let me know if you have any other questions!