thenewrepublic: What is it about cats that creates internet page-view gold? “But why have cats specifically been so successful at soliciting our attention? One hypothesis is that there is a fateful link between cats and human babies that explains their Internet stardom. According to Michael Newall, a philosopher of art at the University of Kent, our inordinate interest in cats may derive from their formal resemblance to our offspring—their big eyes, smallish noses, and dome-shaped heads trigger the evolutionary nurturing instincts that we have evolved toward babies. There may even be a multiplying “superstimulus” effect at work: Newall posits that the exaggerated proportions of cats’ baby-like features prompt an exaggeratedly intense, and involuntary, response in people.” - Perry Stein, “Why Do Cats Run the Internet? A Scientific Explanation” Photo courtesy of New York Times

thenewrepublic:

What is it about cats that creates internet page-view gold?

“But why have cats specifically been so successful at soliciting our attention? One hypothesis is that there is a fateful link between cats and human babies that explains their Internet stardom. According to Michael Newall, a philosopher of art at the University of Kent, our inordinate interest in cats may derive from their formal resemblance to our offspring—their big eyes, smallish noses, and dome-shaped heads trigger the evolutionary nurturing instincts that we have evolved toward babies. There may even be a multiplying “superstimulus” effect at work: Newall posits that the exaggerated proportions of cats’ baby-like features prompt an exaggeratedly intense, and involuntary, response in people.”

- Perry Stein, “Why Do Cats Run the Internet? A Scientific Explanation”

Photo courtesy of New York Times

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  1. nuitblancheetblanchenuit reblogged this from caramelalafleurdesel
  2. natteiu reblogged this from memewhore
  3. largerloves reblogged this from discoverynews
  4. paperdollwithabeatingheart reblogged this from chrismohney
  5. luckychihuahua reblogged this from scishow
  6. pennatologist reblogged this from memewhore and added:
    … can’t it just be both?
  7. pixmaven reblogged this from thenewrepublic and added:
    that is one hella fat cat
  8. shameless234 reblogged this from proposeaswiftorderlychange
  9. proposeaswiftorderlychange reblogged this from dr-quandary
  10. dr-quandary reblogged this from damnitdisney and added:
    lookit that fat baby ♥
  11. mountainmaiden reblogged this from damnitdisney and added:
    I should have written my thesis about Maru.
  12. amorphousblob reblogged this from damnitdisney
  13. damnitdisney reblogged this from abcsoupdot
  14. miriahlovegood reblogged this from discoverynews
  15. wherethingsbreakdown reblogged this from second-breakfast
  16. bluemiharu reblogged this from scishow
  17. second-breakfast reblogged this from discoverynews
  18. carissaissosmalllike reblogged this from hiohmegan
  19. hiohmegan reblogged this from memewhore
  20. tumbling-v reblogged this from discoverynews
  21. deepseafission reblogged this from memewhore and added:
    I’m pretty sure adult cats still have large eyes, small noses, and domed heads. And it doesn’t matter if you dislike...
  22. rainbowandtears reblogged this from scishow
  23. asylum4randomness reblogged this from discoverynews
  24. imissedwhatyousaid reblogged this from discoverynews
  25. troisenator reblogged this from discoverynews and added:
    Two things here:I don’t agree with the argument that cats remind us of human babies. Cats express a greater range of...
  26. thewarmsideofthepillow reblogged this from memewhore
  27. confusingpiewithreality reblogged this from memewhore and added:
    ….This cat looks kind of the same size as one of mine…

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