Every now and then, the internet completely loses its mind over something incredibly simple. Have you come across that utterly fun “which baby is a girl” thing floating around social media recently? It is simply everywhere. I don’t even understand how it is possible for the internet to take such an exceedingly simple thing and make it an overwhelming topic of debate. No complicated rules, no special skills, no deep background knowledge required—just one single image and a split-second decision. Yet somehow, you find yourself staring at it for five minutes straight, completely second-guessing your own eyesight, and then immediately
All there is in the game is an image of cartoon babies with numbers 1 to 4 on them.
These babies all have different looks and facial expressions as well as different body positions, and different vibes altogether. But there isn’t anything complex here, all that is asked is this simple question: “Which baby is a girl?”
It sounds so basic, right? Like a total no-brainer. But, the moment you start to choose, you are instantly caught up in your own mind. The moment that was going to be a breeze turns out to be an analytical marathon, with you scrutinizing each and every pixel of the image as if you are a crime detective. You begin to analyze their faces and wonder if the second one is smiling and looks cute enough to make you think that she must be a girl. Wait, what about the third one? Does the third one look rather obstinate and serious? What about the first one? Does the first one’s forehead have a certain shape? And, before you know it, you are lost in your thoughts trying to convince yourself that your decision is made based on reasoning and intuition, or perhaps some archaic stereotypes of gender.
It is truly intriguing to think about all of the psychology that goes into how these kinds of things end up being such a viral sensation on social media. Honestly, we are all programmed as human beings to seek out knowledge about ourselves, even if it comes from something so frivolous and light-hearted as an online game. The whole reason why this kind of challenge works so well is that it combines our innate desire for knowledge and a little bit of insight into how our minds work.
