Tuesday, March 16, 2010

The Survival Advantage to Republicans of Kindchenschema


What do President Eisenhower, Karl Rove, Glenn Beck, and Mickey Mouse have in common?
Kindchenschema!

"Ethologist Konrad Lorenz defined the baby schema (“Kindchenschema”) as a set of infantile physical features, such as large head, big eyes, high and protruding forehead, chubby cheeks, small nose and mouth, short and thick extremities, and plump body shape, that is perceived as cute and motivates caretaking behavior in the human . In a species whose young depend on care, such bias could be evolutionary adaptive and enhance offspring survival . The behavioral effects of the baby schema have been experimentally confirmed , with implications for infant-caretaker interactions . In ethological terms, baby schema is classified as a “releaser” (or “key stimulus” in the context of social communication), which is defined as a set of specific stimulus features sufficient to selectively elicit a particular pattern of behavior .


Examples of low (narrow face, low forehead, small eyes, big nose and mouth), unmanipulated, and high (round face, high forehead, big eyes, small nose and mouth) baby schema faces. (Modified from ref. 10, copyright Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

Baby schema affects the beholder. Ike's baby face attracted women voters.

"A sweet little face produces a reaction in the beholder. Scientists from the Universities of Münster and Pennsylvania have for the first time identified a region of the brain which, in the case of women, is activated by looking at a child’s cute face. This region, located deep in the brain, is also known as the reward centre.
The baby schema felt to be cute contains a series of child-like physical features, e.g. a large head with a high forehead, round cheeks and big eyes. Numerous behavioural studies have confirmed the effect of the baby schema on adults.

I have wondered for years why Rove hasn't been tied to stake and buried in rotten tomatoes? Is it because he is so cute. Dear God.


Not only is Beck adored by Ubercon women, but they feel protective of him. Women, especially nulliparous women (childless) want to protect Beck from the evil liberals that would do him harm. Of course they know someone so cute wouldn't pull their leg.





The contradictions to kindchenschema must be the reason that this happy face from "The Watchmen" is so disturbing.


2 comments:

BB-Idaho said...

Read 'On Aggression' many years back. Perhaps Rove & Beck are manifestations of the greylag geese? ..general nuisances, crapping in the yard?

drlobojo said...

How unkind...to the geese.