Why do you want to squeeze cute things?_Joshua Paul Dale

Joshua Paul Dale: Why do you want to squeeze cute things?

 

Watching a kitten fumbling around, it might feel as if you’ve never encountered anything so devastatingly adorable in your mortal life. You may want to pet its soft fur and kiss its tiny head. But you may also feel the conflicting urge to squeeze or smush the kitten, maybe even stuff it in your mouth. However, you don’t. And you might be appalled by yourself. But this urge, which psychologists call “cute aggression,” is a surprisingly common one estimated to affect about half of all adults.

看到一只小猫在蹒跚爬行， 你可能会觉得在你的一生中从未遇到过 如此可爱的东西。 您可能想抚摸它柔软的皮毛 并亲吻它的小脑袋。 但你也可能感到有一种 矛盾的冲动，想揉捏 或压扁小猫， 甚至把它塞进你的嘴里。 但是，你没有。 你可能会对自己感到震惊。 但这种被心理学家称为“可爱攻击”的冲动 是一种非常普遍的冲动，估计 影响了大约一半的成年人。

 

To better understand this peculiar phenomenon, let's start with what cuteness is. In 1943, one scientist created a baby schema that identified key features associated with cuteness, like plump cheeks, large eyes, and short limbs. These characteristics, associated with many young animals, were placed in opposition with those perceived as less cute.

为了更好地理解这种奇怪现象， 我们先从什么是可爱说起。 在 1943 年，一位科学家 创建了一张婴儿图式， 它标出了与可爱相联的关键特征， 如圆润脸颊，大眼睛和短小的四肢。 这些与许多幼小动物相关的特征， 与那些被认为不那么可爱的动物相对立。

 

Decades of study have since indicated that this baby schema reliably tracks with how people perceive cuteness. When study participants see images containing more features that the baby schema pinpoints as cute, they tend to look at them longer and more often. And the photos appear to stimulate brain regions associated with emotion and reward.

此后数十年的研究表明， 这种婴儿图式确实主导了 人们如何看待可爱。 当实验参与者看到图片包含更多 婴儿图式定义为可爱的特征时 他们往往会更长时间、 更频繁地看这些图片。 这些照片似乎可以刺激大脑中 与情绪和奖赏相关的区域。

 

Cuteness is also thought to influence behavior. In a 2009 study, participants performed better at the game Operation— which demands precise, careful movements— when shown cute images beforehand. The results of another study indicated that people use recycling bins more when they have cute images on them. And the fact that cuteness hijacks our emotions is certainly not lost on authorities and advertisers.

可爱也被认为会影响行为。 在一项 2009 年的研究中， 参与者事先看到可爱的图片后 在要求精准、细心的操作的 游戏中表现更好。 另一项研究的结果表明， 人们会更多地使用回收箱， 当回收箱上有可爱的图像时。 可爱控制了我们的情感， 这一事实当然不会被当局 和广告商所忽视。

 

But why does cuteness have this hold on us? It's nearly impossible to know for sure, but one theory is that cute things simply make us want to nurture them. Because human babies are relatively helpless on their own, it’s hypothesized that evolution favored infants who were perceived as cute and inspired more care and interaction.

但为什么可爱对我们有这种影响呢？ 这几乎是不可能确定的， 但有一种理论认为，可爱的东西 只会让我们想养育它们。 因为人类的婴儿本身是相对无助的， 所以有人假设，进化有利于 那些被认为是可爱的婴儿， 并激发更多的关怀和互动。

 

And, being acutely sensitive to cuteness, we're tuned into similar features in other species. In fact, as we domesticated animals, their appearances tended to change too. Some scientists have noted a phenomenon called “domestication syndrome,” where certain animals appear to have gradually adopted more juvenile features as they became more docile.

而且，由于对可爱十分敏感， 我们对其他物种的类似特征也很敏感。 事实上，随着我们对动物的驯化， 它们的外表也趋于改变。 一些科学家注意到一种 被称为“驯化综合症”的现象， 即某些动物似乎随着它们变得更加驯服 而逐渐具有更多幼年的特征。

 

One theory is that these physical changes are regulated by an embryonic structure called the neural crest. It helps determine how some of a developing embryo’s cells differentiate and where they go. Delaying or inhibiting the arrival of these cells in certain areas of the body can result in an underdevelopment of the pituitary and adrenal glands, which govern fear and aggression. It can also lead to physical characteristics like floppier ears, shorter snouts, and smaller jaws. This is one idea of how selecting for behavioral characteristics like friendliness, may also select for more juvenile, cuter physical traits. Basically, as humans bred and domesticated docile dogs, we seem to have made some breeds look more like babies.

一种理论认为，这些身体变化 是由被称为神经嵴的胚胎结构调节的。 它有助于决定一些发育中的胚胎细胞 如何分化以及它们的去向。 延迟或抑制这些细胞到达身体的某些区域 会导致脑垂体和肾上腺发育不全， 这些腺体控制着恐惧和攻击性。 它还会导致身体特征， 如耳朵松软、鼻子较短和下巴较小。 这是一个关于如何选择 行为特征，如友善， 也可能选择更年轻、更可爱的 身体特征的观点。 基本上，随着人类培育和驯养温顺的狗， 我们似乎使一些品种的狗 看起来更像婴儿。

 

Some scientists theorize that we may have even domesticated ourselves. The thinking here is that as ancient humans formed larger, more cooperative groups, they selected for friendlier individuals. This may have then led to some of the physical characteristics that distinguish us from our closest evolutionary cousins, like smaller, rounder skulls and subtler brow ridges.

一些科学家推测，我们甚至 可能已经驯化了自己。 这里的见解是，随着古人类 形成更大、更合作的群体， 他们会选择更友好的个体。 这可能导致了一些将我们 与我们最亲近的进化表亲 区分开来的身体特征， 如更小、更圆的头骨和更细的眉脊。

 

But if cuteness is related to nurturing and decreased aggression, why would anyone ever want to squeeze or bite cute things? Well, cute aggression is importantly not linked to the actual intention to do harm. Instead, it seems to result from emotional overload. Some scientists think that cute things elicit such positive emotions from certain people that the experience becomes overwhelming. They hypothesize that slightly aggressive, discordant thoughts are the brain’s way of putting the brakes on and regulating those intense feelings— not getting you to actually eat a kitten.

但如果可爱与培养和减少攻击性有关， 为什么会有人想要揉捏 和咬可爱的东西？ 其实，重要的是可爱的攻击性 与实际的伤害意图无关。 相反，它似乎是情绪过载的结果。 一些科学家认为，可爱的东西 引起某些人的积极情绪， 以至于这种体验变得难以抗拒。 他们假设略带攻击性、不和谐的想法 是大脑抑制和调节 这些强烈情绪的方式—— 而不是让你真的去吃掉一只小猫。

 

Cuteness can come off as a frivolous, innocent quality, but it wields immense, consequential power. Not to be aggressive, but cuteness kind of runs the world.

可爱可能给人一种 无关紧要、天真的感觉， 但它拥有巨大的、作为结果的力量。 可爱不是咄咄逼人，而是那种操纵世界的力量。

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출처 : 
https://www.ted.com/talks/joshua_paul_dale_why_do_you_want_to_squeeze_cute_things/transcript