University of Maryland researchers have found that a cute kitten in an Instagram post could influence a shopper to add a product to their list. The researchers have created the Cuteness Attributes Taxonomy, which lists 15 attributes that determine cuteness. The University’s Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security’s Emotions in Social Media Project examines how different emotions influence the spread of information campaigns. The researchers hope to use their data to examine whether concentrated cuteness predicts user engagement in social media. The study is published in Frontiers in Psychology.
The researchers also aim to examine research on 23 discrete emotions from disgust to wonder and how different patterns of emotions influence social media sharing. The research shows that cuteness affects an individual’s brain, emotions, and behavior, and organizations can use cute content to persuade people to buy products, convey public service announcements, donate money, and reduce meat consumption. The researchers hope to use their research to analyze the impact of concentrated cuteness on social media engagement and how emotions influence social media sharing.
What Makes Something Cute?
The “baby schema” determines cuteness, which includes a large head, chubby cheeks, small nose, and a round body shape. Cute behavior like clumsy movements or being helpless and vulnerable also determines cuteness. There’s also a concept called cuteness by contrast, where the feeling of cuteness is created by contrasting attributes, like a gorilla with a baby. Interaction between cute animals is cuter than if they don’t interact.
Implications of Research on Society
The study examines how cuteness affects individuals and organizations and how it can be used nefariously to manipulate individuals. In the past, ISIS used kittens to soften their persona and help with recruitment, and most recently, animals made their way into anti-Russian social posts out of Ukraine, including cats dressed in military uniforms. The researchers’ work aims to analyze the impact of cute content on individuals’ emotions and behavior using data to reveal how emotions influence social media sharing, including disinformation campaigns and national security.
How to Ramp Up the Cuteness of Social Posts?
According to the researchers, building more layers of cuteness is the key to achieving ultimate cuteness. For example, adding cute animals interacting to your social media post is cuter than if they don’t interact. Also, using cute talk with a high pitch or certain vocabulary and an emoji can add more layers of cuteness to the post.
Can We Trust A Baby Animal Post Again?
The study shows that there is a lot of toxic discourse, hate, and anger on social media; even if cuteness is used deliberately to manipulate, it is still nicer than the alternative.
More information:
Ewa M. Golonka et al, The construct of cuteness: A validity study for measuring content and evoked emotions on social media, Frontiers in Psychology (2023). DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1068373
Citation:
When a cat video elicits more than warm fuzzies: Examining human responses to ‘cuteness’ in social media (2023, May 10)
retrieved 11 May 2023
from https://phys.org/news/2023-05-cat-video-elicits-fuzzies-human.html
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