Why Do We Chase Shimmer?
Studies show even young children and adults prefer glossy surfaces—possibly rooted in our attraction to water as a survival cue.
Shimmer catches the eye. Gold leaf, metallic paint, sequins, champagne bubbles—little flashes that demand attention. But why do we chase it?
Three reasons come to mind:
- It promises more. Shimmer looks like there’s something underneath, a depth that might not even be there. We want to believe in hidden richness.
- It distracts. Light bouncing off a surface can blind us for a second, pulling us away from whatever else we’d rather not see.
- It fades. Shimmer is fleeting by nature. A tilt of the head, a change in the light, and it’s gone. That fragility makes it addictive.
As an artist, I use shimmer because it pulls people in—but I also use it to ask: what happens when the light shifts and the shine disappears? It’s like many paintings in one. It’s also like life: changing, fleeting.
Takeaway: We chase shimmer because it changes—nothing, in art or life, stays still.
For a science-based angle, see the 2014 Fast Company article discussing evolutionary psychology and our attraction to glossy surfaces.
