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So, here’s a statement: ‘Asians are cuter’
*offended gasp*
Ok wait.
If that was your reaction, this video is probably not what you think.
Everyone has their own opinions of what constitutes as attractive.
But I’m not necessarily talking about ‘attractiveness’ here - I’m talking about ‘cuteness’
Cuteness is a term describing a type of attractiveness commonly associated with youth and appearance.
It’s also a scientific concept.
So when I say ‘Asians are cuter’, well, they arguably are
and that’s including males, not just females.
Now, compared to adults, common features for infants across all ethnic groups include
larger heads, flatter faces, reduction of the brow ridge, hairlessness, thinner bones, reduced muscle mass,
smaller physical size, shorter arms, shorter legs, just to name a few
and of course this is largely why people find babies cute.
If they didn’t have these features and proportions, they’d more so resemble miniature adults
and that’s….
kinda creepy.
Normally as you transition from a big headed, short limbed baby, to a longer-legged juvenile,
to a teenager, and finally to a fully-developed adult
you would expect to lose most if not all of these traits.
However, this isn’t always the case.
How many ‘cute’, baby-like features you retain into adulthood, largely depends on your ethnicity.
And this takes us back to Asian people, specifically East Asian people, because
compared to other groups, they tend to have (on average) the highest retention of childlike features
This is called ‘Neoteny’, where you may still look 14 even though you’re actually 30.
Ok, hold up.
I suppose this may be getting awkward for some of you, especially for those who have
an inclination towards Asians.
But... it’s actually not so weird.
Studies have shown that, at least for men, there is a clear preference or attraction
towards neotenized faces - and this is regardless of ethnicity.
Men of all types were more likely to find neonate features attractive.
And since Asian people were more likely to have these features,
it’s only natural that a high percentage of these men were also drawn to Asian people.
So in many of these cases, what looked like ‘Asian fever’, may have just be ‘cuteness fever’.
And this is regardless of the person’s actual age.
According to these studies, neotenous faces were perceived as having higher ‘sociability’ and ‘femininity’
where as those ‘low in neoteny’, were more ‘intimidating’.
Ok, but, why is this the case?
Why are East Asians more neotenous?
Well, about 30,000 years ago there was a crucial juncture in the evolution of Asians.
There was a gene mutation that resulted in several distinctive traits that made
East Asians different from other populations.
Thicker hair shafts, reduced chin protrusion, smaller breasts, changes in the morphology of ears and teeth
many these traits making an individual look younger than they actually are.
As time went on, changes in cranial morphology followed, slightly larger heads, flatter faces,
more pronounced cheekbones, reduced sexual dimorphism
which means males started to resemble females a little more
basically an all-round high retention of juvenile characteristics.
Now, depending on your preference which relate to your background, your culture
your thoughts may differ on the attractiveness of the aforementioned.
In Western society, the desirability of these traits is not exactly something that’s encouraged
when it comes to physical attraction
But in East Asia, it’s pretty normal
And has been the case for a very long time.
In fact, it’s said sexual selection likely played a major role in bringing these traits to the forefront.
As mentioned previously there is an innate attraction that males in general have towards neotenous features
regardless of culture - but in East Asian society, this is heightened.
With more males selecting ‘cute’ female partners
overtime these traits became more and more widespread.
In this sense, neoteny in Asian males is really the resulting ‘by-product’ of sexual selection.
Another point to consider is that infantile features tend to trigger a nurturing response in adults
they elicit more affection, meaning that this is possibly an evolutionary adaptation
to help ensure that children are taken care of by adults
and thus securing the survival of the species.
In a similar sense, those who retain said traits into adulthood could have higher reproductive success.
If you’re wondering why non-neotenous traits exist in the first place
well there are obvious evolutionary benefits
larger teeth and jaws, for example, would have been needed for the constant chewing of
tough, raw foods back in the day.
Yes you can see from this that neoteny is actually a condition that has affected all humans
just to varying degrees.
An adult human today is a lot closer to the juvenile form of our ancestors.
We’re all basically mutant apes that never grew up.
Ok, at this point, many of you may be wondering how the concept of ’Asian eyes’ fits into all of this?
I mean, babies are supposed to have disproportionately large eyes
which would make it a neotenous trait.
But then… how is this explained?
I’ve actually done an extra video covering this specific topic
which you can check out exclusively on our Patreon page (the link’s down below)
Now, it’s not just the physical characteristics that make East Asians appear ‘cuter’.
It’s also the way they act.
If there’s one country that exemplifies this the most, it would have to be Japan.
Kawaii culture has long been a prominent aspect of Japanese society.
The cutesy, kawaii way of talking and acting is certainly commonplace there
with many Japanese men finding this attractive.
And actually it’s not just restricted to the way they look and the way they act
kawaii cuteness is pervasive everywhere - in media, entertainment, clothing, food, toys, transport,
guardrails(?)
condoms(?)
Ok so the ability for adult humans to be able to act kawaii is also considered a neotenous trait.
This is an example of ‘psychological neoteny’
where there is a retention of youthful attitudes and behaviors into later adulthood.
While this is certainly more widespread in Japan, South Korea, parts of China
it’s not strictly an East Asian phenomenon.
For example, you perhaps could classify the American ‘California valley girl’ tone and behaviour
as a form of psychological neoteny.
Now, in an evolutionary sense, this childlike trait of playfulness, or prolonged immaturity,
can actually be a valuable developmental characteristic.
It can make an individual more flexible and adaptable in life
behavioural traits that aren't nearly as beneficial in previous, more settled societies.
Social roles today are dramatically less fixed.
Frequent changes in our careers and personal relationships have become the norm,
and perhaps the best way to deal with all this unpredictability
is to embrace that youthful sense of play.
It drives humans to be more curious about the world, enabling us to learn new things, even as adults.
By the way, I’m not saying that being straight-up immature is the way to go.
Of course, there’s a difference between the playful adaptability as highlighted here
and just plain obnoxiousness.
And another thing to clear up - this topic may be a sensitive issue for certain people,
as race-related topics tend to be.
I know some have used neoteny to argue that Asians are inferior
because they’re underdeveloped and childlike.
Conversely, there are others who have argued that Asians are superior to the rest of the world
given that neoteny is a characteristic of advanced evolutionary status
meaning Asians are capable of the greatest development.
No, this video is not backing either of these points of view.
Any differences should be cherished and appreciated in their own way.
And whether you’re more into Asian features, or Western features or whatever
that’s ok too.
But if Asian is your thing, and you’re single, you should check out EastMeetEast.
It’s the premiere Asian dating app in the US, Canada, Australia and many other countries.
You can sign up for free and browse through the 400,000+ member database.
The great thing about EastMeetEast is that everyone there likes Asians.
So there’s really no harm in at least checking it out, the link’s in the description below.
And remember it’s East Meet East, not MEETS (A lot of people get that mixed up).
For those interested in the extra video I mentioned about why 'Asian eyes' look the way they do
despite Asians being neotenous
you can check out our Patreon page.
Anyway I hope you enjoyed this topic, and if you have any questions or thoughts
let us know down below.
Thanks for watching, hit that like button, and of course for more Asiany videos
don’t forget to subscribe!