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Study Says Cute Things Will Ruin You

Awwww! How cute is stuff that is cute? The cutest! Right?

Just so damn cute, in fact, it turns our brains into hedonists, says a new study from an upcoming issue of the Journal of Consumer Research. Anyone whose ovaries do a spontaneous tap-dance in the presence of baby pictures knows that adorableness can reduce the decision-making capabilities of even the most hardened hard-hearts. There is some nuance here, though: Apparently living cute entities activate feelings of protection and caution that lead to “careful actions,” while inanimate cute things tap into our reward systems, resulting in overindulgence and general poor choices. For example, participants ate more ice cream when using a fun, “whimsical” ice-cream scoop than a plain one.

New summer diet plan: toss out all animal-face servingware and fill my kitchen with newborns to help with “careful actions” when it comes to portion control.

Study Says Cute Things Will Ruin You