Why Do Babies Look So Cute? Unveiling the Science Behind Their Adorable Charm
Cheeky, with a delicate chin and lovely lips. The first word that comes to mind when we consider a baby of any kind is “cute.” But what exactly causes us to feel this way towards infants? In the 1930s, an Austrian ethologist conducted a study on animals to explain human behavior, and his findings shed light on the concept of “baby schema.” This theory suggests that infants of many mammal species possess specific features, such as a large head, large eyes, and a small nose, that elicit a caregiving response.
The research reveals that the “aww” factor is not the only human response to the cuteness of babies. Their features trigger a natural instinct in adults to care for and protect them. It is a biological response that we have been blessed with, as babies wouldn’t make it into adulthood without adult supervision. Their cuteness implores adults to take care of them and help them evolve into fully functioning individuals.
In 2009, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania decided to put Lorenz’s theory to an experimental test. They asked 122 undergraduate students to rate the cuteness of babies. The findings showed that the cuter the students found the babies, the more they wanted to care for them. This supports the idea that human babies require more care and attention compared to offspring of other species.
According to a review of scientific literature published in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences, both men and women not only make extra efforts to look at cute infant faces longer but also prefer to give toys to cuter faces compared to relatively less cute ones. Research suggests that our bodies respond to cuteness with physiological changes. A 2016 review aimed to understand how our brains respond to not only physical cuteness but also cute voices and sounds of babies. Additionally, cuteness has been observed to drive more empathy and sensitivities in human adults.
Although some individuals may not find babies cute or react to them the same way as most people do, the evidence supporting this claim is limited. Ongoing research continues to delve deeper into this topic. For now, let’s assume that when we find babies cute or instinctively smile upon seeing an adorable child, it is because we are naturally hardwired to respond in such a manner.
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