百科知识视频之煎蛋小学堂24 婴儿为啥都那么萌

There's no denying that human babies are cute.But even other species tend to have adorable infants.

毫无疑问 人类的婴儿特别可爱。不过 其他物种也有萌萌的幼儿。

So,why have science conditioned us to find babies so precious? Is there something specific that triggers our urge to hold and squeeze them?

那么 科学该如何解释我们“萌”物之心呢?有没有特定的因素促使我们抱抱它们呢?

Interestingly,studies have found that Macaque monkeys pay little attention to newborn faces,leading researchers to believe that the cute feeling maybe entirely human trait,Unlike many other species,once born human babies are completely dependent on their parents for survival.

有趣的是 有研究发现猕猴不怎么关注新生儿，这让研究者相信“萌”感可能只是人类的特点。和其他物种不同 出生后。人类的婴儿完全依靠父母生存。

As a result,humans have adapted to find certain traits.aesthetically pleasing and downright adorable in an effort to increase interaction,care and protection from parents.This,in turn,enhances offspring survival and perpetuate our species,But,what exactly make something seem Cute?

因此 人类已适应于能发现某些特点，美学上是悦目 白话就是“萌”，籍此从父母获得更多的交流 照料和保护。反之 这也增强了后代的生存力 让人类得以长存。不过 是什么让事物“萌”呢?

Known as Baby Schema,scientists have come up with a set of tested traits,that make something appear Cute,These include a large,round head related to the body,large eyes below the mid-line of the face,protruding cheeks,a big forehead,round body and soft surfaces.And no doubt,our species is born with fully-grown large eyes,almost full-size brains,soft skin,big cheeks and round bodies.In fact,in test where baby photos are manipulated to have more baby schema traits.whether they are human babies,or dogs and cats for example,they are rated as Cuter and participants felt a stronger motivation to take care of these babies.

这就是“婴儿图式”科学家提出了了一套经验证的特征 让东西看上去很“萌”。其中包括相对身体较大且圆的脑袋，超过半边脸的大眼睛 突出的脸颊，硕大的额头 圆圆的身体及柔软的皮肤。毫无疑问 我们出生时就有发育完全的大眼睛，几近成型的大脑 肉肉的皮肤大脸颊和圆圆的身体。其实 在实验中 但婴儿照片被人为添加更多婴儿图样特征，无论是人类婴儿 还是猫狗之类的，都更受萌宠 参与者有更强的冲动来照顾这些婴儿。

Even when the front of the cars were altered in accordance to the baby schema,like making the headlight larger to mimic big eyes,participants experienced a more positive response.

即使在一辆改装出婴儿图样的车前，比如把车头灯加大 模仿大眼睛，参与者也给出了更积极的评价。

It turns out,it's all in our head,When viewing babies with enhanced baby schema proportions,the Mesocorticolimbic System of our brain is activated.These parts of the brain enhances the anticipation of a reward and can lead to a sense of enjoyment,motivation to care for something.and the urge to cuddle or hold an object.

结果证明 一切都归功于大脑。当看到具有鲜明婴儿图样比例的婴儿时，大脑的皮质系统就会被激活。大脑这块区域会增强对奖赏的预期 并会产生照顾某物快感和动力。以及拥抱某物的冲动。

But what about things that AREN'T so cute?In fact,some creatures are downright ugly,So what do science have to say about these?Our friends at EARTH UNPLUGGED have answered this very question in our collaboration on animals.

不过 那些不太萌的东西呢?说白了 有些生物简直不忍直视。那么科学对此又该怎么解释?