Moo Deng and other baby animals spark adoring reactions worldwide because their cuteness hijacks our brains, studies show. The animals' human baby-like features strike at people's ingrained nurturing instinct.
When we see these infantile features - those big eyes, large foreheads, small chins and pudgy bodies - we interpret that as helplessness and dependency, and it motivates us to care for them.
In 1943, Konrad Lorenz first proposed the concept of the 'baby schema,' or the blueprint of features that induce our cuteness perception. This schema includes universally appealing qualities like chubby cheeks and big eyes.
A 2009 study found that the 'baby schema' triggers both men and women's motivational systems, showcasing how deeply ingrained this instinct is across the human species.
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