Neoteny, or neotonia, is a term that refers to the retention of juvenile traits in the appearance and behavior of an adult.
We have found unique characters in marketing strategies that seek to move people. Today what we have closest at hand to demonstrate the validity of this are the cute kittens that continue to show the human predisposition to be attracted to what causes tenderness and finds childish. The concept of “cuteness” has invaded social media like viral, in recent years. A term that comes with a dose of dopamine directly to our brain, which, in pet-lover mode, within his subconscious reverberates a voice that says aww…
Who has not twisted their neck 90 degrees, regardless of the side, in the presence of a baby or newborn. Protection instinct activated.
Gad Saad can explain to us more clearly how all this works thanks to his studies of Evolutionary Psychology.
La neotenia es importante en la psicología evolutiva porque se cree que muchos de estos rasgos juveniles han evolucionado a lo largo del tiempo para facilitar la comunicación social y la cooperación entre los humanos. Por ejemplo, los ojos grandes y redondeados pueden hacer que un individuo parezca más inocente y vulnerable, lo que puede aumentar la probabilidad de que otros individuos le brinden ayuda y apoyo.
Saad illuminates our understanding of neoteny.
It turns out that at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, where Gad Saad is a professor (no less) of marketing, he has carried out several experiments trying to justify various human behaviors linked to Neoteny, exploring how a series of traits are important for cooperation and human intelligence have led to the social evolution that we have so badly needed to survive as a species.
Saad points out that the large, round eyes of adult humans, a classic example of neoteny, may have evolved precisely to allow us to better read the emotions and intentions of others, something very important for building social relationships.
Neoteny may be related to the evolution of human intelligence. Saad believes that the retention of youthful traits in adult humans, such as curiosity, exploration, and a willingness to learn new things, may have been one reason why humans have developed exceptional intelligence compared to other animal species.
Note that the neuroplasticity found in the human brain, one of the qualities of our species most likely to be responsible for our evolution, may be closely associated with neoteny and has not been left out of Saad’s observation and analysis. The ability of humans to learn and adapt to new environments is believed to be the result of increased brain plasticity that is maintained into adulthood. This may be related to the retention of youthful traits that allow for continued exploration and learning from the same position of curiosity that we had as children.
Let’s go back to our viral kitties full of dopamine and oxytocin, which is also not new if you think about it a little better.
Applying neoteny to marketing in 3.. 2.. 1.
In the world of company communication and branding, there have been characters who sought, perhaps, to move us? Of course that was what they were doing!
We could ask Walt Disney, a brand that no earthling would refuse to use on a sweater (from our hypothesis) or Geico, an insurance company that, through a cute iguana, has managed to connect with thousands of shoppers, seeking to increase and build confidence from branding, so simple using a happy symmetrical character, with touchingly big eyes and head. A masterpiece at the level of the Mona Lisa. Perhaps she doesn’t have big eyes, but she does have symmetry and beyond the cracked texture of the paint, we see (or think we see?) a skin that transmits youth and fertility. Who wouldn’t give her protection?
Naturally, we are drawn to reminiscences of our childhood, who does not remember with a smile in his heart the cartoon that he loved the most as a child?
We believe that little more remains to be explained. For us, neoteny, studied by evolutionary psychology, sheds a lot of light on why marketing strategies that appeal to tenderness work and will continue to work and yes, ladies and gentlemen, we have viral kittens for a while.
