Ancient Egyptians slipped ground green malachite, a copper carbonate with an iridescent effect, into their cosmetics, and there was also galena, a silvery mineral used in early eyeliners.īy the 19th century, however, glitter was most often made from powdered or ground glass. Pyrite was used in Paleolithic cave paintings to produce a muted shimmer. Even today, you can find mica in luster paints.īut mica was hardly the only option. Mayans, for example, chipped and mixed the stuff into pigments and slapped it onto 6th-century temples. These naturally occurring sheets of silicate-forming minerals have been used to bedazzle objects ever since the Paleolithic era. HOW DID OUR ANCESTORS GET THEIR GLITTER ON?įor those who couldn’t get their mitts on gold, silver, or precious jewels, mica has been a saving grace. And thanks to natural selection, that’s left us with an innate preference for things that sparkle. The theory is that our need to stay hydrated has kept mankind on the lookout for shimmering rivers and streams. And it turns out, there’s an evolutionary reason for that.Īccording to researchers from the University of Houston and Ghent University in Belgium, our impulse for shiny things comes from an instinct to seek out water. Babies, after all, can’t tell a diamond-coated Rolex from a Timex, but new research shows that kids favor putting shiny objects into their mouths over matte materials. But it seems to be more than just an “ooh, pretty,” phenomenon. Prehistoric man also had a habit of polishing his bone tools. Anthropologists have noted that many hunter-gatherer tribes equated shiny things with spiritual powers. But the roots of our attraction to All Things Sparkly goes deeper. WHY ARE HUMANS SO ATTRACTED TO GLITTER?Ĭulturally, of course, we love shiny things, perhaps because they are associated with wealth and status: flashy cars, blinged out accessories, even solid gold toilets. But where does glitter come from? Why does it exist? And how in the name of all that is good can you get it off the upholstery? 1. It’s also the stuff of cleaning nightmares. It’s essential to Pride parades, a weapon of social disruption and foremost in a pop star’s make-up arsenal.
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