A closer look
Nobel laureate Nikolaas Tinbergen proved that animals are absolute suckers for exaggerated traits. He discovered 'supernormal stimuli' by experimenting on seagulls and songbirds. He found that a bird will literally abandon its own pale, speckled eggs to sit on a giant, brightly painted plaster dummy egg that looks nothing like nature. The animals' hardwired instincts are easily hacked by something bigger, brighter, and louder. It perfectly explains human junk food, modern advertising, and why birds are terrible parents.
