Cute-Maxxing: getting away with crime, ahead in politics, and compassion from strangers [PART 1]

Neotenous Features and Societal Advantages

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Ariana Grande has very Neotenous features

From literally getting away with murder, to monopolising parental love and seducing the opposite sex, the babyface is a potent social weapon.

The doe-eyed look can help people win over their enemies, elicit help from strangers and get ahead in their careers. It makes politicians seem more trustworthy, crooks less likely to be convicted and sentencing less severe.

Their power is such that ‘cute’ features have been appropriated the world over to sell products and make cartoons more endearing (think Betty Boop, Mickey Mouse and Bambi).

That’s because regardless of who or what these features are plastered on to, our behaviour is transformed the moment the brain screams “baby”. “They call out help me, protect me, I’m no threat to you – just as they do for infants,” says Keating.

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In the courtroom, the more babyfaced the defendant, the less likely it is that judgments will be made against the defendant for intentional criminal acts (Zebrowitz & McDonald, 1991).

Apparently, babyish, submissive-looking facial traits trigger attributions which, when displayed by adults, evoke a level of expectation and response a child might.

Finally – inexplicably – across diverse cultures, in every corner of the globe, baby-faced women are rated as the most attractive.

“The big eyes, the long lashes, the arched brows, the plump lips, the small chins, the round face, the cute little nose – if I wasn’t describing a baby, I’d be describing a supermodel,” says Caroline Keating, an expert in non-verbal communication at Colgate University, New York.

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Alexis Bledel has very Neotenous features. Despite being 37, she still looks young.

In one study, participants had their brains scanned while they looked at pictures of babies and baby-faced men. The neural activation patterns of women looking at baby-faced men were indistinguishable from when they looked at actual babies. Those on the contraceptive pill – and those who are the most fertile – may be more susceptible than others.

A few years earlier in 1999, Keating tried a similar experiment, this time meddling with the faces of politicians. Unsuspecting volunteers were shown images of US presidents which had been altered to make them more or less babyish, then asked to rate them for dominance, strength, cunning, honesty, attractiveness and compassion.

The big-eyed politicians were generally rated as warmer, more honest and attractive.

So how Do I Cute-Maxx?

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There's going to be a series of posts coming out later on how to look younger and more innocent.

there are specific features that you can fake with makeup, hairstyles, or even get surgery for.

Investigations in which specific facial features have been either measured or manipulated confirm that immature features, such as large eyes, thin brows, pudgy lips, and round jaws, engender impressions consistent with subordinate status (e.g., helplessness, warmth, dependency, and weakness) (e.g., Berry & McArthur )

the next post will be on how to get bigger eyes with makeup!

following posts will focus on the nose, jaw, chin, eyebrows, and facial ratios.