23/08/2024
Do we find pudgy meerkat kittens so appealing because they look like human babies? Very probably. Austrian ethologist Konrad Lorenz, in 1949, theorised that a large head, round face, podgy body and big eyes are associated in our minds with an infant human baby and triggers care-taking behaviour in us. This ‘Kindchenschema', or baby schema, serves a vital function; we have to fall in love with our babies to ensure their survival. We talk about “melting," “going gooey” or wanting to “eat up” babies and baby animals, which is our attempt to articulate the huge dopamine rush we are programmed to get from the Kindchenschema.