UAE residents talk about the hangouts that they like best

We go to stores to shop and restaurants to eat, but some commercial places mean more to us than the things we buy there. From your neighbourhood bookstore to the corner café, the most meaningful spots between work and home, also known as 'third places', evoke a sense of homeyness. Here's how we bond with them.
SOCIAL SECURITY
In one study, staff at a French watering hole were likened to protective "godfathers" who treated customers like relatives. Such familiarity between staff and customers can foster an expectation of fairness and safety, Université Paris-Est psychologist Alain Debenedetti and colleagues write in the Journal of Consumer Research. Customers' degree of attachment to a restaurant is also tied to how similar in status and character other diners seem to them, a Florida State University study suggests.
FREE RANGE
Some shoppers at IKEA Beijing feel so cosy that they can be seen napping on the display furniture. Comfort with the physical space of a shop or eatery, coupled with relaxed social norms, can instil a sense of belonging and lead customers to develop proprietary habits, the JCR study found. Regulars might stash items in a particular spot or access "backstage" areas - say, a place by the kitchen where menus and water are kept - without worrying about crossing a line.
AUTHENTIC TOUCH
Customers respond to signs that there is more to an establishment than profit making, according to Debenedetti's team. In Illinois, the World's Largest Laundromat - it has over 300 machines - is also a gathering spot for neighbours, with a play area and free-pizza nights. Expressive staff or decor that reflects the character of the owner may indicate a personal involvement that can be endearing - as, in a café, one study participant declared "so tacky you feel as if you are in the woman's home."
A SLICE OF HOME
When living in a foreign country, cultural immersion is key to adjusting. But for those having a difficult time, reminders of home can help, research in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology suggests. In one experiment, a group of American exchange students in China who were treated to an American dessert (apple pie) reported feeling more comfortable with locals afterward than those who received a Chinese dessert (mango pudding). In a longer study, Chinese study-abroad students with relatively high levels of insecurity were asked to write about one of two things: Hong Kong icons, like Victoria Harbour and The Peak, or symbols of their current host country. The students who focused on their home country reported, on average, better adjustment during their stay and more positive impressions post-trip.
Such reminders of home can help dislocated people feel "more settled, comfortable, and secure," says Jeanne Ho-Ying Fu, a psychologist at City University of Hong Kong, and can also embolden them to take risks in adapting to a foreign culture.



 

• UAE