Photo: Denafi Sy

What makes a baby face cute?

It's their eyes, which are huge relative to their faces (eyeballs don't grow all that much after birth); their heads, which are too big for their bodies; their cheeks; and their tiny chins that get adults to fixate on them. Scientists say these traits activate an instinctual attention in adults.

vox.com - Babies' cuteness is key to their survival. What happens when they ...

What questions create intimacy?

50 questions to build emotional intimacy What do you think your younger self would think of our relationship? What have you learned about...

Last updated Sep 1, 2019

What is the youngest age to legally marry?

Child marriage is currently legal in 43 states (only Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island have...

Last updated Jul 12, 2022

Do you really know who the “One” is? Your true Soulmate?

Promotion

Babies' cuteness is a powerful force to be reckoned with. It melts adult hearts, ensuring babies a steady source of food and protection until they mature to an age when they're slightly less vulnerable. What is it about babies that makes them so cute? It's their eyes, which are huge relative to their faces (eyeballs don't grow all that much after birth); their heads, which are too big for their bodies; their cheeks; and their tiny chins that get adults to fixate on them. Scientists say these traits activate an instinctual attention in adults. Brain scan studies have found evidence of an immediate reaction to babies in parents and non-parents alike in the orbitofrontal cortex, a region of the brain thought to be involved in rewarding and decision-making. Cute babies are just extremely hard to ignore, and this is likely hardwired into our brains.

How we react to less attractive babies

There's some evidence to suggest that less cute children are treated differently. A review of the scientific literature in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences highlights a few conclusions that point in this direction. The first: "Both men and women will expend extra effort to look longer at cute infant faces." So cuter babies command more attention. Does this mean adults prefer them? "When presented with cute and less-cute infants, adults prefer to give a toy to, or even adopt, the cuter one," they write. The problem of cuteness discrimination is more acute when the baby has a physical abnormality. Brain scans show that adults — who usually have immediate brain activity when gazing on an infant's face — will show less activity when babies have a "craniofacial abnormality that disrupts the typical cute facial composition." In the real world, this plays out with tragic consequences. Babies with cleft lips and palates are more likely to have "adverse outcomes in child development, including cognitive problems," the paper writes. "These problems can at least partly be attributed to early disruptions in mother-child interactions, specifically a lack of all-important maternal responsiveness." The implication is that the mother is less responsive because the child is less cute.

There's more to cuteness than the face

There's some hope for babies who are less attractive than their peers. The authors of the review in Trends in Cognitive Sciences make the case that there other, nonfacial, components to cuteness: "sight, sound, or smell of infants can help facilitate caregiving and perhaps promote other sophisticated emotional behaviors," they write. (Also all parents have a bias to see the cuteness in their own children.) What's also true is this: No baby can stay cute forever. "Both adults and children pay more attention to infants' faces than to older children's faces," the authors write, "suggesting the power of cuteness in young children's faces fades as children mature." And however unsightly a child might be, it's unlikely that one would be so hideous as to provoke reactions like Elaine Benes and Jerry Seinfeld's here:

Why babies in medieval paintings look like ugly old men

What is the most romantic saying?

Romantic Things to Say to Your Boyfriend I wouldn't change a single thing about you. ... You're the love of my life—my one true soulmate. I never...

Last updated Apr 3, 2022

What happens when the soul leave the body?

The separation of the soul from the body, that is the ending of life. That is death. May 4, 2022

Last updated Aug 21, 2021

Promotion

How common is it for teachers to sleep with their students?

Nationwide, about 10 percent of all students experience sexual misconduct by a school employee sometime between kindergarten and the time they...

Last updated Feb 11, 2022

Are soulmates lovers?

They both deserve nothing but the best. I feel soulmates aren't necessarily lovers, they come in all shapes and forms. Soulmates show up in your...

Last updated Jul 30, 2019

Promotion

How do I spiritually connect with my partner?

Here are five ways to help you build a strong spiritual connection with your partner. Self-Reflection. ... Have Meaningful Conversations. ......

Last updated Oct 4, 2019

Promotion

How old do you have to be to work at KFC?

KFC FAQs. What Age Does KFC Start? KFC requires job seekers to be at least 16 years old to apply for entry-level positions.

Last updated Mar 7, 2018