At this point, we don’t have to tell you that cats are one of the most beloved pets out there. After all, they are only defeated by dogs in the “race” of the most common pet. Each person has their own reason to love these pets – from their interesting characters to quirky but loving behavior to their cute and fluffy appearances. Or maybe all of these things combined are what draw people to cats.
Either way, today, let’s focus on their cuteness specifically. You see, there are some specific criteria that are considered to be generally cute. This includes things like big, forward-facing eyes; a soft body shape; a large head (when compared to the rest of their body); round ears, and so on.
If you really think about it, these are all characteristics that human babies tend to have. And that’s the exact reason why we find them cute – our brains are wired to summon caregiving instincts when faced with them. This way, we would have the urge to protect and nurture our offspring, which ensures the survival of our species.
And while cats and other cute pets aren’t technically our offspring (we’re not talking about the whole pet parent debate here), they can still cause us to feel similar things. It’s a phenomenon called “baby schema” or “kindchenschema,” and it was defined by ethologist Konrad Lorenz.
In fact, sometimes the baby schema affects our brains so strongly that we experience something called “cuteness (or playful) aggression.” It’s basically when you see something unbearably cute, and you’re filled with so much emotion that you feel like gritting your teeth, and squeezing something or anything similar, but without causing any harm.
This kind of feeling is categorized under “dimorphous expression” – when your external actions don’t match what you’re feeling inside. This is similar to something like crying out of happiness.
#10 I Was Tagged Into This Group, This Is My Freya 🐈 She’s All The Princess 🎀
Scientists believe that it usually manifests when the emotions we feel are overwhelming and we try to manage them by balancing them with a seemingly contradictory expression.
As we've already acknowledged, various things that carry certain characteristics can evoke kinderschema. What we haven’t done is give examples of that. So, for that, take a peek at today’s list – it’s full of cats with ear furnishings, and these pics are very dang cute.
Ear furnishings are just the fine hairs that grow inside a cat's ear canal. Officially, they serve the purpose of protecting the ear’s canal from debris and dust, and they also aid hearing by directing sound vibrations toward the eardrum.
And unofficially, this just adds an additional layer of charm to these already endearing felines. Do you agree?
#18 We Will Be Welcoming This Little Guy To Our Home Next Month. Meet , Havik
