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Psychophysiological Responses to Kawaii Pictures With or Without Baby Schema

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  • Hiroshi Nittono
  • Namiha Ihara

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, which was greater for pictures with baby schema. The findings suggest that the word kawaii expresses positive feelings that are more generic than infant attractiveness and that are associated with a motivation to approach a preferable object.

Suggested Citation

  • Hiroshi Nittono & Namiha Ihara, 2017. "Psychophysiological Responses to Kawaii Pictures With or Without Baby Schema," SAGE Open, , vol. 7(2), pages 21582440177, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:7:y:2017:i:2:p:2158244017709321
    DOI: 10.1177/2158244017709321
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gergana Y. Nenkov & Maura L. Scott, 2014. ""So Cute I Could Eat It Up": Priming Effects of Cute Products on Indulgent Consumption," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 41(2), pages 326-341.
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    1. Hiroshi Nittono & Shiri Lieber-Milo & Joshua P. Dale, 2021. "Cross-Cultural Comparisons of the Cute and Related Concepts in Japan, the United States, and Israel," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(1), pages 21582440209, January.
    2. Hiroshi Nittono & Hatsune Saito & Namiha Ihara & Dante Nicolas Fenocchio & Jorge Mario Andreau, 2023. "English and Spanish Adjectives That Describe the Japanese Concept of Kawaii," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(1), pages 21582440231, February.
    3. Hsuan‐Yi Chou & Xing‐Yu (Marcos) Chu & Tzu‐Chun Chen, 2022. "The healing effect of cute elements," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(2), pages 565-596, June.
    4. Markus Blut & Cheng Wang & Nancy V. Wünderlich & Christian Brock, 2021. "Understanding anthropomorphism in service provision: a meta-analysis of physical robots, chatbots, and other AI," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 49(4), pages 632-658, July.

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