Science of Cuteness By Katherine Lightwood

Science of Cuteness

By Katherine Lightwood

When we see little kittens and puppies, most people, in general, say "it's cute". But what is cute, Scientifically? Why do we like soft cuddly things? Why do cute things have a unique effect on us?

The word cute is a shortening of "acute" which originally meant keen or perceptive. Many years ago the 'word' began to be used as slang for a girl who was pretty. And after that, it acquired a new meaning which was described as cuddly and delicate. Various studies were done on this topic of understanding cuteness and finally, the official definition comes to play. It is a small body size with disproportionally large head, large eyes, round and soft body features. But why did this characteristic illicit an 'aww' response from us humans?

Well!! It is found that those characters are found in the human baby which makes sense. If merely looking at your offsprings makes us instinctively self-protecting and nurturing then it's great for all of us. A fun consequence of this is that our experience of cuteness can be triggered by things that aren't a human baby. For instance, shells, bunnies, and owls. So, now we have pretty good idea that what is cute? But "where is cute"?

Researchers have shown cute baby pictures to subjects while using functional MRI to track activities in the brain. And sure enough the cuter the baby in the picture, the more activity is found in the 'Nucleus Accumbens', a pleasure center of the brain. When this part is activated, it releases 'dopamine'. Cuteness is such a powerful force on the brain, in fact, it can affect our behaviors.

So, it's no coincidence that the creators of cartoon characters like Micky Mouse or Pikachu have drawn them more and cuter overtime. The Japanese concept of 'Kawaii' is a great example of this. There are many other psychological factors at work that causes us to want to instinctively take care of our young. When something retains juvenile traits all the way through adulthood, it's called neoteny. And we love it especially in animals that we keep as pets.

I sometimes tend to repulse away from cute things. I couldn't know the scientific reason but it bores me. We, humans, have selectively bred all kinds of animals to make each generation more and more useful to us. But the dog might be the animal that has spent the most time, designing and making each generation better at hunting or staying cuter.

So, that was my thought of the day. To see more posts like this make sure to visit our main page. And Do not forget to visit our institute's page to know more about graphic design, 3D, animation courses and other awesome stuff. Till then good day to you.

Katherine Lightwood