Why do people get emotionally attached to random everyday objects?

It’s a physical reminder of someone or something or a time that was important to them.

I went through a tough time in my life and was only able to buy this used car that had a hole in the floor board. The car meant everything to me and it meant I could keep seeing my kids. Eventually things turned around, but I drove the thing into the ground. The day she got towed away, I wept like a baby. We have better things now, more things, and more expensive things - but that car got me through the worst time of my life. It was a lifeline when I was in a dark hole. To anyone else it was an ugly rust bucket, but to me, it was a bit of grace when I needed it most.

Idk, weird side effect of human empathy? Sentimentality adds some flavor to life imo.

If you dont have a desire to protect your roomba with your life, you have no soul.

It's not odd at all. It's human nature. Anthropomorphism is innate to humankind.

It's like a captured memory that never seizes over time but instead of a photo it's another item.

I think it's pretty common for people to have associations with random objects, which causes an emotional attachment. But I do also think there's "degrees" to how much this happens. While I don't have Hyperthymesia (which is remembering basically everything), I do have a pretty high-functioning episodic memory triggered by mnemonic anchors - which means I can tell the entire story of almost any object in my house. I can pick up almost any random object and tell you exactly when I got it, where I got it, what else I did that day, exactly how much I paid for the item, what I was wearing when I got the item, the weather that day, etc. Even if I got the thing 40 years ago. But weirdly, it's only with items around my house (or a family member's house, if I was there when they got the item). It doesn't have to be a sentimental item either, it could be a kitchen ladle, anything. But for ME it feels emotional, because I remember every detail and so I feel "invested" in every stupid thing. But I don't have an autobiographical memory with other aspects of my life, only objects, which is unusual.

I like to talk about anything regardless of what it is as if it was sentient and had feelings and aspirations just to be emotional about it for the dramatic effect

Even without a specific backstory that attaches people to items, humans are very good at caring about things. Evolution selected for people who were good at caring for their own children since those kids carrying on those traits lived longer more often thanks to that care, but the actual trait is just caring about things. In Community, it's explained well with a pencil. If a pencil is broken, oh well. If a pencil named Kevin is broken, people will be sad.

Usually because they're c*** at holding onto the people they associate with the objects.

Wilson!