How Animals Might Be Our Weakness

Are Your Pets Emotionally Manipulating You?

Have you ever wondered why, when a puppy is seen in public, most people in the vicinity immediately begin cooing and smiling at it? I mean, it's just an animal. Why are people so excited? Then you look, you really look, and all of a sudden you're also smiling at the tiny thing? Or when you're eating and your dog looks up at you with its big eyes and you know you have to just give him a little bit of food? As it turns out, there is actually an evolutionary reason for this phenomenon!

Small Pup Playing in the Water

Especially in baby animals- like puppies or kittens- the large eyes and small facial features are thought to be an evolutionary tactic used to elicit a chemical response called the baby schema effect. This leads to a release of oxytocin in the brain, resulting in feelings of happiness, love, affection, and attachment. Features like large eyes, small noses, small chins, and pudgy bodies cause a response in the regions of the hypothalamus similar to those activated by human babies. When people see babies with their innocent and vulnerable features, an emotional response occurs that releases chemicals to cause feelings of affection and protectiveness to ensure the survival of the baby until he or she can fend for him or herself. These evolutionary facial features seen in babies have been naturally selected for in animals, increasing the survival rate of young organisms in the wild and the emotional response humans have towards them. 

A Good Wholesome Dog With His Human Parasite

Now, although baby animals with their big eyes are almost impossible to not give in to, its also just as likely that humans would have the same emotional response to bugs. At first, that seems completely unlikely. Who could find a giant centipede cute? However, it might be possible! Some speculate that humans have evolved to produce oxytocin through what is called a “learning module”, a form of imprinting. The theory is that humans might have genes code for proteins that cause a positive response in the brain towards whatever features that appear in our own offspring. Because of these genes, it can be presumed that if human babies had jagged and rough features instead of the small and soft ones, humans would favor those characteristics instead. So, do you like bunnies over centipedes because they are, in fact, cuter? Or are you just biased towards those features?

The Cutest Bunny in the World

Overall, natural selection and evolution have led to cute and furry animals being on similar levels as our own human offspring. Is this a completely manipulative deed done by nature? Yes. Is it incredibly smart and effective? Yes. Even with this knowledge, are we all still going to give in to our pets when they beg for things? Wholeheartedly. But for now, go snuggle your pets or look up cute cat videos. Despite the biological manipulation, it will boost your mood and make you smile!

Some Cute Animals Manipulating Your Feelings