Humanistic Neoteny
Have you ever seen someone that looks so young but is actually really old? I’m
not talking about early 20s or early 30s. I’m talking about people having faces of a 20
year-old despite being in their 40s. Of course, you have. I mean, who hasn’t? You
might have doubted if these faces are natural or if they’re product of modern
medicine. But I assure you that it can be natural.
Science calls it as Neoteny.
It is a genetic process that slows down the physical development of a body. Of
course, this process does not only happen to humans but also to our genetic relatives,
the primates.
This discovery may seem very recent. But actually, it is already being used by
the Japanese. It is evident in the characters they draw in anime and manga. Most often
they have large eyes, small noses and mouths, flat faces, large heads and short arms
and legs. It is also evident in Western cartoons.
But it does not only affect the physical appearance of a person. 48% of the
genes affects how the brain develops. Because of this, a Newcastle University
professor named Dr. Bruce Charlton, believed that the "retention of youthful
attitudes and behaviors into later adulthood" is a characteristic valuable for human
evolution. Stephen Jay Gould is also a professor like Dr. Bruce Charlton. He believed
that Neoteny is "retaining to adulthood the originally juvenile features of our
ancestors". It meant that neotonous people have increased maturation period and size
of the human brain.
Neoteny affects females more rather than males. Because of this, they have
"neonate large eyes, greater distance between eyes, and small noses". These features
are much more attractive than any other facial characteristic. Looking at physical
aspects, people with younger looking faces are likelier to get married. Because of this,
Neoteny is passed on to their children. This cycle goes on and on again.
It is important to understand that Neoteny does not simply mean a younger
face. It meant that important development in different parts of our bodies are delayed.
It may seem irrelevant now, but expect it in our gene pool sooner or later.
Resources:
http://www.davidbrin.com/nonfiction/neoteny1.html