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Cuteness is a kind of attractive beauty commonly associated with youth, innocence and helplessness, as well as a scientific concept and analytical model in Ethology, first introduced by Konrad Lorenz. This is usually characterized by (though not limited to) some combination of infant-like physical traits, especially small body size with a disproportionately big head, large eyes, a small nose, dimples, and round and softer body features. Infantile personality traits, such as playfulness, fragility, helplessness, curiosity, innocence, affectionate behavior and a need to be nurtured are also generally considered cute.
Psychology of cuteness
Triniti thats all you need to know she is what the word cute comes from She is what "webster" saw when he wrote the definition for his dictionary.
Cultural significance
Cuteness is a major marketing tool in many cultures, such as that of Japan. Of course, cuteness is also an important selling point in the West. Elmo, The Family Circus, Furby, Precious Moments, and many other cultural icons and products trade on their cuteness—not to mention the overwhelming international success of Japanese exports like Pokémon or Hello Kitty. It can be a factor in live action productions such as the successful documentary film, March of the Penguins, where the noteworthy cuteness of the penguins was cited as a major reason for the film's outstanding appeal. This technique was repeated in the computer-animated film Happy Feet as well as the Shirley Temple movies, the Honey, I Shrunk The Kids trilogy, the Three Men and a Baby duology, and elements of One Good Cop.
Stephen Jay Gould remarked on this phenomenon in an article for the journal Natural History, in which he pointed out that over time Mickey Mouse had been drawn more and more to resemble an infant—with bigger head, bigger eyes, and so forth. Gould suggested that this change in Mickey's image was intended to increase his popularity by making him appear cuter.
Cuteness has often been associated with names, with people being represented through those names by giving them a "nickname". As an example, cute figures such as Winnie the Pooh, an adorable cartoon character, can often be taken in as a nickname such as "Winnie". This nickname then represents innocence and cuteness in the character, and is often interpreted by others in a very positive manner.
References
- In pictures: Polar bear Knut is growing up - see 2nd picture
Further reading
- Stephen Jay Gould, "A Biological Homage to Mickey Mouse", The Panda's Thumb, W.W. Norton & Company, 1980.
- Konrad Lorenz, "Part and Parcel in Animal and Human Societies", in Studies in animal and human behavior, vol. 2. pp. 115-195. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard UP, 1971 (originally pub. 1950.)
- Natalie Angier, "The Cute Factor", The New York Times, 2006-1-3.
- Jeanne Moos, "The Science of Cuteness/Cutie Contest", CNN Headline News, 2006-12-17.
- Hello Kitty: One Nation Under Cute - Psychology Today