By Nicholas Guynn
Being cute is ideal if you're a female competing for beauty, and cute things make us happy, but what is cute? The term "cute" was coined into our language about 180 years ago to describe the physical beauty of women. Later, it became a synonym for what we know today as precious, adorable, and cuddly. The real question is, "What makes things cute?"
Believe it or not, there have been studies on this topic. When people, who volunteered for a study conducted by Konrad Lorenz on cuteness, were given a survey to identify what was "cute", patterns began to show in their judgements. In their judgements on cuteness, the survey takers picked things that had small bodies compared to large heads, round and soft body features, and large eyes. What you may also note, and Lorenz points this out as well, is that all of these features are traits found on human babies. This makes sense because it should be reasonable to assume that every time we see a baby, we should instinctively want to protect and nurture it.
When a person sees a cute picture, the pleasure center of the brain is activated, which releases dopamine giving us all that "Awwwww!" feeling. This area of the brain is also the same target of hardcore drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine. This makes cuteness, in some ways, addicting. Since it has such a large effect on us physically, it also can influence the way we think and act. This is where advertisers can influence so many people. No wonder characters like Mickey Mouse and Pikachu have been drawn to look cuter over the years.
Cuteness, in a simple term, is just the traits we see in objects that resemble our own offspring. If human babies looked skinny and tough, we would instead think those qualities were cute. Go out and pet something adorable today to fulfill your own innate sense of protective heroism.
Photo Courtesy of: blackbookmag.com