Abstract
Baby schema has been considered a key stimulus that triggers feelings and thoughts of cuteness. Kawaii is a Japanese word that roughly translates to cute in English, but its meaning appears to be broader than cute. Specifically, cuteness is often regarded as synonymous with infant physical attractiveness, whereas kawaii is used not only for babies but also for noninfantile objects. In this study, psychophysiological responses were compared between two types of kawaii pictures: human babies and animals (kawaii with baby schema) or objects such as desserts and dress accessories (kawaii without baby schema). Twenty female university students were asked to view various pictures twice. Both types of kawaii pictures were rated to be more pleasant than neutral pictures, elicited a greater activation of the zygomaticus major muscles associated with smiling, and were viewed for a longer period when the same pictures were presented again. The effect of baby schema appeared in the zygomaticus major muscle activity, ...
Highlights
In present-day Japan, the word kawaii prevails in every scene, including fashion, advertisements, and product designs
We examined whether the known responses to kawaii pictures with baby schema occur in response to kawaii pictures without baby schema
The Japanese word kawaii is used to describe babies and infantile features, but it is used for noninfantile objects
Summary
In present-day Japan, the word kawaii prevails in every scene, including fashion, advertisements, and product designs. Japanese university students (N = 180) were asked to imagine a scene in which they encountered each of the four types of kawaii stimuli: those with baby schema (e.g., babies, stuffed animals), humans (e.g., smiling, cheerful person), nonliving objects (e.g., desserts, accessories), and idiosyncratic objects that are not usually described as kawaii the respondents personally feel them to be kawaii (e.g., lizards, mushrooms) They rated their feelings and thoughts on six 5-point scales: two adjectives (kawaii, infantile), two scales of approach motivation (I want to be closer to it, I want to keep it nearby), and two scales of nurturance motivation (I want to help it when it is in trouble, I want to protect it). The feelings of kawaii are related to a strong approach motivation to interact with the stimulus
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