Do you like looking at photos of funny kittens and puppies? Postcards with babies cheer you up and move you to tears? Don’t worry, admiring cute faces is not only normal, but also useful!
Many of us are touched by the sight of small children or animals. But few people think that it can be useful. Meanwhile, researcher Joshua Paul Dale, for example, argues that the desire for everything cute – or as they call it in Japan, “kawaii” – is now in vogue, and it is time to take “cuteness” seriously.
The cute face trend was born in 1970 in Japan, spread throughout East Asia and gradually conquered the whole world. Today, “cute” is everywhere, from clothing prints to industrial design, and both of these areas are extremely promising.
The psychology of “cuteness”
In 1943, the famous ethologist Conrad Laurens found that certain facial features and behaviors that we associate with young children are endearing. Think about what puppies, monkeys and children have in common? Lawrence pointed out that childlike features, such as big eyes, puffy cheeks, and a funny walk, seem charming to most people. What is our reaction?
Driven by hidden parental instincts, we smile, look, want to touch, stroke, hug, and, of course, protect. Anything resembling a human baby we identify as important to the survival of our species.
Lawrence and some scientists before him suggested that cuteness helps to manipulate and adapt, and also to survive, because it can melt even the most hardened hearts and instantly turn cold-blooded businessmen into devoted and gentle “parents”.
Today, science has even greater evidence of the crushing power of kawaii. In one creative project, scientists showed participants images of both adult dogs and cats, and puppies with kittens. The participants then played Operation, a game that tests players’ hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. The researchers found that participants performed better when they looked at cute kittens and puppies. Simply put, looking at the “cute” pictures made the subjects more attentive and accurate. Given this effect, is it worth it to hang pictures of kittens in real operating rooms?
In a neuroimaging study, they found that this reaction is caused not only by what we perceive with our eyes, but also by sounds and smells: children’s laughter, babble, the smell of warm children’s pajamas. And it has also been established that touching infantile images make people not only more attentive, caring and accurate. They also play an important role in social bonding, promote empathy, and generally benefit our well-being.
How to benefit from it?
1. When you need to concentrate, look at something cute. Research has shown that looking at pictures of adorable animals before taking a tough test, going to an interview, or starting a tough job can make it much easier to focus and successfully overcome a tough challenge.
2. Use your own cuteness. Do you want to force someone to do what you need? Instead of arguing and showing strength, show your helplessness – arouse compassion.
On the other hand, if you want to demonstrate to your opponent that you are an adult and independent person, stop speaking in a thin childish voice and blinking your eyes, bang your fist on the table, speak rudely and sharply, that is, minimize the so-called “infantile features”.
3. Make personal items even more personal in order to stop losing and ruining them. Do you constantly forget glasses cases, keys, phones, umbrellas? Set fire to kitchen potholders, break thermal mugs, break plates? Cheat a bad habit, become more attentive and caring, making objects more individual, pleasing to the heart.
Buy things with cute prints, fun shapes – a water bottle with a cute picture, a pink toaster with a puppy face or a kitten. Or imagine that the car keys or mug are a cute little creature, helpless and completely dependent on you. It is waiting for care and tenderness, and you are its only protection.
4. Before you snap at someone, imagine their inner child. If you can see in a toaster a cute creature that is waiting for our love and help, then what prevents us from making “heavy” people “cute” with the power of our imagination? When someone annoys, embarrasses, or angers you, pretend they are just little kids. After all, we won’t ask a child like an adult.
Better yet, imagine an inner child that is still hiding somewhere in them. This will make it easier to look at the situation from their point of view, understand and forgive, instead of using defensive fight-and-flight strategies.
5. Add “cutes” to the surrounding reality to breathe life into it, to make it truly yours. If you want to feel comfort, tenderness, harmony, in a word, feel at home when entering the bedroom or the kitchen, change old furniture, paintings and other pots, towels and potholders for nicer and more comfortable ones.
Try to apply the modern trend of childishness in the environment to create a more playful and cozy atmosphere.