Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jinju]

is a baby's smile


cue the ooohs and ahhs

[Tiberious aka Sparkles]

Jinju has a heart! Zut alors!

(I agree, btw. Though naked women aren't too far behind.)

[wo buxihuan hanguoren]

[jinju]

[wo buxihuan hanguoren]

[jinju]

[waltjocketty]

wrong, jinju, wrong.

[tomato]

Hello, jinju!

What do you suppose contributes to the cuteness of babies, puppies,and kittens?
Some readers may say, "God made them that way."
That may be true, but here are some other possible answers:

■ small size

Which looks cuter to you, a cherry tomato or a strawberry? More likely a cherry tomato, since it is smaller than a full-size tomato. A strawberry may not be larger than a cherry tomato, but it does not have a larger-size counterpart.

According to Lorenz (1956, v. 1: 222) and Robson & Moss (1970), small size adds to a child's cuteness. Adults are more punitive toward taller children (Eisenberg et al., 1984), but hold higher expectations of taller children (Brackbill & Nevill, 1981; Eisenberg et al., 1984). Once when I misbehaved in second grade, the teacher said, "I'm surprised at you, the biggest boy in the class!"

■ large head

Lorenz (1950) was the first to suggest that children's proportionately larger heads added to their cuteness. Later researchers, who ran validation studies, found that Lorenz was right as usual (Fullard & Reiling, 1976; Sternglanz, Gray, & Murakami, 1977; Hildebrandt & Fitzgerald, 1979; Alley, 1983).

■ large eyes

Of all of the parts of the infant's body, the eyes are the proportionately largest. Consequently, large eyes have become a mark for cuteness. Again, Lorenz (1950) was the first to note this feature, and later researchers have found that he was right (Fullard & Reiling, 1976; Sternglanz, Gray, & Murakami, 1977; Hildebrandt & Fitzgerald, 1979; Alley, 1983).

Gould (1980) claims that this feature adds to Mickey Mouse's cuteness.

These first three traits apply to babies AND kittens AND puppies.
The remaining traits apply to babies, but might apply to other species also.

■ chubby cheeks

Lorenz (1950, 1956, v. 1: 222) noticed that children have round, protruding cheeks and suggested that this adds to their cuteness. Again, later researchers found that Lorenz was right (Fullard & Reiling, 1976; Sternglanz, Gray, & Murakami, 1977; Hildebrandt & Fitzgerald, 1979; Alley, 1983).

■ large or small mouth

According to Eibl-Eibesfeldt (1990, [1970] 1972: 21), a small mouth is an infantile feature, which is beneficial for purposes of sucking.

Gould (1980) claims that this feature also adds to Mickey Mouse's cuteness.

■ chubby or curvy legs

Lorenz (1950, 1956, v. 1: 222) suggested that children's short and thick limbs add to their cuteness. This has been confirmed by later research (Alley, 1983).

Like many other pet breeds, the pekingese has been mercilessly bred for childlike cuteness. This is why the pekingese has short legs and a consequent waddle (Morris, 1986: 114).

■ chubby buttocks

When kid star Shirley Temple visited nursing homes, the elderly residents made such comments as "What a cute bottom!" She later wrote in her autobiography (Black, 1988: 396), "I would have preferred their attention on the front, but whatever made them happy was acceptable to me."
This could be because children have proportionately larger and rounder rumps than adults (Bayley, 1956). Lorenz (1956, v. 1: 222-223) explains that children are more easily portable that way.

I don't know how much artistic skill you have, but I invite you to take out a pencil and paper and draw a picture according to the above prescriptions.

Betcha the picture will look cute, no matter what your level of artistic skill.



Alley, T. R. 1981. Head shape and the perception of cuteness. Developmental Psychology 17: 650-654.

Bayley, N. 1956. Individual patterns of development. Child Development 27: 45-74.

Black, S. T. 1988. Child star: An autobiography. New York: Warner Books.

Brackbill, Y. & Nevill, D. D. 1981. Parental expectations of achievement as affected by children's height. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly 27: 429-439.

Eisenberg, N.; Roth, K.; Bryniarski, K. A.; & Murray, E. 1984. Sex differences in the relationship of height to children's actual and attributed social and cognitive competencies. Sex Roles 11: 719-734.

Fullard, W. & Reiling, A. M. 1976. An investigation of Lorenz's "babyness." Child Development 47: 1191-1193.

Gould, S. J. 1980. A biological homage to Mickey Mouse. In The panda's thumb: More reflections in natural history. New York: W. W. Norton: 95-107.

Hildebrandt, K. A. & Fitzgerald, H. E. 1979. Facial feature determinants of perceived infant attractiveness. Infant Behavior and Development 2: 329-339.

Lorenz, K. 1950. Part and parcel in animal and human societies: A methodological discussion. In Studies in animal and human behaviour (Martin, R., transl.). 1971. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press: vol. 2: 115-195.

_____. 1956. Interviewed in Tanner, J. M. & Inhelder, B., eds., Discussions on child development: The proceedings of the first meeting of the World Health Organization Study Group on the Psychobiological Development of the Child, Geneva, 1953. New York: International Universities Press.

Morris, D. 1986. Dogwatching. New York: Crown Publishers.

Robson, K. S. & Moss, H. A. 1970. Patterns and determinants of maternal attachment. Journal of Pediatrics 77: 976-985.

Sternglanz, S. H.; Gray, J. L.; & Murakami, M. 1977. Adult preferences for infantile facial features: An ethological approach. Animal Behavior 25: 108-115.

[mole]

whoa. deja vu.

[swetepete]

I've been a member of this sickly community for only a few short months, but I think your post, Tomato, might be the best one I've seen yet.
However, I must say--do you really carry your children by their rumps? Are they not kinda slippery?

"This could be because children have proportionately larger and rounder rumps than adults (Bayley, 1956). Lorenz (1956, v. 1: 222-223) explains that children are more easily portable that way."

What, you grab them by their weird little asses when you need to ship them? I dunno dude, that seems kinda ineffective. I suggest transporting them in this way, instead--illustrated here by leopardskinpillboxhat's latest avatar.

[MCSM]

[tomato]

We didn't have strollers throughout most of our Evolutionary past, though.
We had to carry children the primitive way.

[khyber]

speaking of evolutionary past, I've never really been convinced that the "awww it's cute" aspect played much of a role in the fight to survive.

If I recall, all animal babies exhibit these traits, yet deer and puppies still get attacked and eaten.

[Yo!Chingo]

Kittens or great white sharks. I could adore both for hours!

[merlot]

Absolutamente.

Not only is the smiling baby a miracle, the smile is genuine for the baby knows no pretension; the smile is comes from the baby�s soul and is so very pure in nature.

Funny, a baby smiled at me today. ..