学进去

Why do we find ugly animals so appealing? And what makes odd-looking creatures so cute?

Evolution (进化) plays a role. According to Austrian zoologist Konrad Lorenz, human attraction to childish features, such as big eyes, large heads and soft bodies, is an evolutionary adaptation that helps ensure that adults care for their young, guaranteeing the survival of their species. Odd-looking animals such as blobfish, pugs, and bulldogs all share these childish qualities that initiate an affectionate response among humans. And these childish characteristics increase a person’s “protective behavior, attention and willingness to care” for the individual and reduce the “likelihood of attacks towards a child”, says Marta Borgi, a researcher.

Ugly animals often have other value—some, like the blobfish or the naked mole rat, live in extreme environments that they have adapted to in remarkable ways. Scientists are keen to study these animals to understand whether their biology might provide fresh insights that could lead to treatments for human health conditions such as cancer, heart disease and other deadly diseases.

Our fascination with ugly-cute animals can also be traced back to culturally-based causes. “The ugly-cute thing is very fashionable,” says Rowena Packer, a lecturer of animal behavior. “This is partly driven by social media, with many influential people showing off pet pugs and French bulldogs on the Internet,” she says.

But there are some serious welfare concerns around this trend. Vets are urging people not to choose a flat-faced dog, because they suffer from serious health problems. Pugs and French bulldogs which have been selectively produced experience breathing difficulties, repeated skin infections and eye diseases.

We may want to rethink our love for “ugly-cute” animals because of their silly features like protruding (鼓出的) eyes and wrinkly faces.