Hey brain surgeons! Get a load of this!

Did you know that if you were to STARE INTENTLY at cute animals, the surgery you perform may be up to 30 percent MORE ACCURATE?

Someone wrote about this fact on a blog, so it MUST be true!

According to the article in Skepchick:

“In Experiment 1, 40 women individually played a game of Operation in which they had one chance to remove each of the body parts without touching the tweezers to the sides and making the wacky buzzing sound and blinking red nose that indicate your patient has tragically died on the table. They were then randomly assigned to look at images that were either of low cuteness (dogs and cats) or high cuteness (puppehs and kittehs). Finally, they played one more game of Operation.

The women in the high-cuteness group showed significantly greater improvements in their performance of the game than those in the low-cuteness group.”

catcher 11

I strongly agree with the author of this article that we should test (AND RE-TEST AND RE-TEST!) all Rules of Cuteness to for effectiveness. Great find, Sparkeh.

55 comments … read them below or add one

  1. Szig says:

    So many toes!!

  2. So this means Cute overload is providing a valuable service to all us viewers!

  3. DaytimeDeb says:

    “Low Cuteness?” Seriously? Hummph.

    (So says my cat Hyde… sorry, he got to the computer before I did. -dd)

  4. Von Zeppelin says:

    Does this work for rocket scientists too, or just brain surgeons?

  5. Theo says:

    I’ll help you build the rocket. Let’s do this.

  6. jen says:

    Thumbie kittehs are the awesomest ever.

  7. WendyPinNJ says:

    Awwwww, polydactyl kitty. Supposedly they’re good luck. At least Ernest Hemingway thought so!

  8. Beth says:

    Is that one of the hemmingway six toed cats?

  9. Beth says:

    Ha, Wendy beat me to it!

  10. Metz says:

    Iz a poly poly poly thum kitteh!
    Sigh I haven’t had or seen one since my own Chevy polytoe from my childhood.

  11. Theresa says:

    Double thumbs– uh oh!

  12. Pheas says:

    Safety first! Visit CuteOverload every day.

  13. kat says:

    oh! i should change my thesis!

  14. T.U.M. says:

    MITTIN KITTIN!!!

  15. Jake says:

    So many toes! SQEEEEEEE!

    I must nom the toe beans!

  16. Cloud's Kim says:

    Awww this looks like my 6 toed bebeh!!

    Wait… low cuteness? Never! Adults need love too =(

  17. Elsie says:

    That kitteh could probably perform surgery too, seeing as how he has opposable thumbs & all.

  18. lucky Cliff says:

    so does this mean that Meg and Theo could probably perform the brain transplant Doctor McCoy did on Spock? I bet!!

    [Maybe we already did. You'll never know. - Ed.]

  19. Katrina says:

    So many puddy toes!

  20. metsakins says:

    does rubbing the belleh with the mouse pointer improve concentration?

  21. Becca says:

    Oh wow… that cat’s feet are about as wide as its belly!

  22. chet, ruby, and miaoux's mommeh says:

    his fumbs have fumbs….

  23. lrm says:

    Adorable kitteh. I also agree that adults can be just as cute!

  24. lrm says:

    High five- er, I mean high six!

  25. Clare says:

    *Gasp!* Bonus toebeans! :D

  26. Far says:

    It’s a thumbkitty! Much luv for thumbkitties! (My polydactyl cat had h00j mitts like that when she was a kitten.)

  27. rabble says:

    exposed belleh, squinty tabby face turned upside down, jelly bean toes PLUS extra toes?! thank gods we’re all cuteologists, cause i needs someone to put mai asploded head back togethers.

  28. Brenda says:

    So cute! Love the thumbs! :-)

  29. Martha in Washington says:

    Once that kitteh learns to use the can opener we are all obsolete. So watch out! The end of humankind is at hand!!

  30. Gwenny says:

    Must be the release of oxytocin…maybe it raises ones attention to detail…

  31. Marie says:

    Gorgeous colors! What a beauty!

  32. Alexis says:

    Aww, I love the polydactyl kitty. We have one that I call ManHands (not her real name).

  33. chanpon says:

    *tries to stuff paw with extra toes into mouf*

  34. spb says:

    Heck, this cat could prolly flick a bic!!

    By the way… how do you pronounce “bellial”, as in bellial areas?

  35. kibblenibble says:

    Wookit the thumbs! The sweet innocent belleh! Best part of my day.

  36. Lizzy says:

    Note to self: tape pictures of cute aminals (not a typo) to my right arm before the surgery. (The ligament in my wrist that holds one of my tendons in place tore, so not only do I have pain from the tear but the loose tendon is rolling around loose. They find this out NOW after almost 1 1/2 years of constant horrible pain.)

    Can thumb kitteh be my anesthesiologist? I’ll just schnorf the toe-beans until I pass out of joy.

  37. Lizzy says:

    SPB: I believe it is something like belly-uhl. Soft “a” sound, like in ‘practical.’

  38. Juniper Jupiter says:

    So…what they’re sayin’ is that female brain surgeons are all thumbs like the picture of the kitteh? IS THAT WHAT THEY’RE TRYING TO SAY!!!! HOW SEXIST!!!

    But it’s probably true if it worked! :D

    Oh, and want the pterydactyl kitteh!!! :P

  39. puddlepeppers says:

    Gwenny…great-sounding comment about release of oxytocin…for real?
    Now how can I work this into a conversation? (maybe better not…)

  40. Teresa says:

    AWW :) I would LOVE to get a polydactyl kitty or kitties :)

  41. hon glad says:

    I don’t see skill at playing Operation, as much of a plus.

  42. Subhangi says:

    They needed a STUDY to prove this?

  43. Martha in Washington says:

    Subhangi–And they probably got a billion dollar government grant for the study too!

  44. Londoner says:

    With this kitty you get extra oxytoe-cin!

  45. T.U.M. says:

    I have a polydactyl Maine Coon cat. She’s like a freaking Clydesdale.

  46. Trez says:

    I know viewing Cute Overload on a regular basis during my work day makes me more productive at work :)

  47. Suzi says:

    another Hemingway kitty?

  48. dg1532 says:

    Dogs and cats = LOW CUTENESS? I don’t think so…

  49. Laura says:

    Cant get over the poly toes. my siamese mix has two extra ‘thumbs’ too. Love seeing her poly cousins!!!

  50. Merlin' Muse says:

    OMG! Just want to snorgle that belleh and nom nom those toe beans! Lucky I have my own kittehs to snorgle when I need some kitteh belleh.

  51. Teresa says:

    T.U.M., you have a polydactyl Maine Coon cat :) Oh, man :) That is one BIG KITTY :) So what is the name of your “Clydesdale” kitty :)

  52. spb says:

    Ahhh…. “like belly-uhl. Soft ‘a’ sound”. Thanks for helpin’ out Lizzy. And sorry to hear about your wrist. Hope surgery goes well. Actually you should prolly take in two high cuteness aminal pics, one for you ‘n’ one for the surgeeeun. Oh heck, take in a third for the anesthesiologist, too. Maybe a fourth for the nurses (they can share).

    Any way good luck to ya! And have fun!!!

  53. spb says:

    polydactyl Maine Clydesdale Coon cat is maybe named “Clyde”?

  54. Theo says:

    Polydactyl Maine Coon Clydesdales are called “Sir”.

  55. leanne says:

    she wants tickles!