I love things that are cute.
Puppies, bunnies, small cacti, you name it.
And so when I heard that a friend was fostering some baby kittens, I had to go see them.
For science.
Of course.
Ok. let me just go ahead and say that this interaction happened at seven in the morning.
I'm in my Pajamas.
I have no make up on.
And...
OH MY GOD ARE THOSE KITTENS?
Ah! I can't!
Hi guys!
Look at your tiny toes!
You are so small.
Oh my god. ::laughter::
No baby.
You can't eat my finger.
Who has the smallest paws?
Do you love them?
I love them so much!
No judgement guys.
No judgement please.
Obviously these kittens are adorable.
What is it about them that makes them so cute?
Is it their tiny noses or the sounds they make or their little paws.
It's gonna real hard to make this video if I keep thinking about those cats.
But what is it about them that makes us squee with delight, cuddle them,
and be so cute in a way that is also kind of gross.
One of the first scientists to study cuteness was ethologist Konrad Lorenz- who is probably
most well-known for getting a bunch of ducklings to imprint on him and follow him around as
if he was a mommy duck.
He theorized that we find baby animals cute because they have many of the same features
that are found in human infants- Small body size, a large head and large eyes,,
small nose, big forehead, small chin, round, soft features, floppy limbs.
He saw all these features as being part of a particular schema- a kind of framework for
information.
When humans see this schema, which he called a "Kindchenschema,' or "baby schema",
it grabs our attention, and triggers a need to care for it
And this is important, because compared to babies in other species, human babies are
kind of.... useless.
Other animal newborns can stand up and walk around, and nurse, and cling to their mothers, human
babies….
Not so much.
Human head size is limited by the size of the birth canal, and since humans walk upright,
that can be pretty limiting.
Because of this, a lot of development has to happen after birth and, while that's
happening, the baby needs a lot of care.
But this means that the future of our species depends on us taking care of these useless
infants- and let's be honest, that's kind of a challenge- they yell, and poop, and smell.
And that's where the baby schema comes in.
We see their big eyes and tiny feet and little fingernails, and a deep evolutionary need
to care for it kicks in. Which ensures the survival of our species.
And this isn't just a theory.
Laboratory research has shown that looking at baby pictures.
as compared to pictures of adults.
improved attention and focus.
So it's like we are programmed to pay attention when we think cute things are near.
We also know that looking at pictures of babies, but not adults, triggers the reward circuits
in your brain.
And this nurturing-cuteness drive is so powerful, that it spills over onto any other things
that have the features in this schema- so that includes things like puppies and kittens
but also other things like cartoon characters, and certain cars, and these adorable avocado
cookies that they are selling at the bakery around the corner from my house.
And advertisers are very aware of this fact- it is no accident that cartoon characters,
dolls, toys etc, have become more 'cute' as time has gone on, which makes us more likely
to want to buy them.
In fact, studies show that the cuter the baby, animal, or object, the more likely we are
to want to care for it.
We also are particularly likely to care for animals who keep some of these 'cute'
features into adulthood.
Scientists call this Neoteny.
For example, this is my cat Zoe, despite her young appearance, she is 13 years old.
We selectively breed for neoteny the animals that we want to keep as pets, and people are
more likely to contribute to conservation efforts to adult animals with these features
like pandas.
But, um, what about the other reactions we sometimes have towards cute things.
The more aggressive kind?
Think of that apparently insatiable desire that grandparents seem to have to pinch your
cheeksIt turns out that adults report feeling the need to crush, eat, or even kill things
that they find cute….
Researchers found that the same people who had extremely positive reactions to pictures
of adorable babies also displayed strong aggressive reactions towards them.
And recent studies from Yale about this 'cute- aggression' have found that this response moves beyond desires and into
actions- people popped more bubble wrap when they viewed pictures of baby animals as compared
to images of adult animals. Which is the curtest model of aggression i've ever seen!
this seems to go against the theory that cuteness is an evolutionary trigger
for care.
What's going on?
It turns out that this reaction might actually be an adaptive one to keep the first one in
check.
Have you ever been so overwhelmed at the cuteness of something, you couldn't function- go
ahead.
Just try to get something useful done right now.
The aggressive reactions that can accompany feelings of cuteness might help to keep this
helplessness in check.
Think about how very strong emotions are sometimes followed by their opposites- what researchers
call dimorphous expressions- like laughing when you are sad or crying when you are extremely
happy.
These reactions seem to help us maintain an emotional balance - keeping us from moving
too far in emotional direction.
It you are so overwhelmed with cuteness or happiness or grief, you may not be able to
do what needs to get done- like make sure the baby gets fed, or comfort other members
of your family, or thank the people who helped bring you happiness.
It's a way for us to regain control.
So, Ironically, the desire to squeeze to death, or the disgust you might feel when you see
something that is just too adorable, might actually increase the chance that we give
the nurturance that is needed.
Do you have a cute pet?
Share it in the comments below!
For science.
Of course.
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