http://blog.ted.com/2008/03/03/folding_a_new_m/ The TED Blog shares interesting news about TED, TEDTalks video, the TED Prize and more. Fri, 24 May 2013 07:30:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ http://blog.ted.com/2008/03/03/folding_a_new_m/comment-page-1/#comment-597 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://blog-staging.ted.com/2008/03/folding_a_new_m/#comment-597 Susan Blackmore’s example of toilet paper isn’t necessarily an empty symbol of caretaking but might in fact have a much deeper meaning. French psychoanalyst/ marleting survey conductor Clotaire Rapaille has found in his studies that toilet paper is a highly poten symbol to people as it represents “freedom” and “independence”. How so? When we are children, it is wen we can use toilet paper ourselves that we can be alone in the bathroom for the first time without our parents. Since hotels probably want to send the same message of freedom and indepence (although they may not be aware of it), they “dramatize” the toilet paper to subtly remind its patrons of their first taste of freedom.

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