You're probably familiar with the psychological test known as the Bubba-Kiki effect, a phenomenon that arbitrarily associates sounds and shapes with specific characteristics. But the Bubba-Chi Chi effect took on a whole new meaning after one TikTok user used this cognitive conundrum to explain her taste in men, and it's truly genius.
Since the Bubba-Cheechee Effect uses fake words to prove its point, it's hard to explain what it actually is, so bear with me. The Bouba-Kiki effect is a psychological test that maps speech and visual shapes, with images of rounded-edged shapes (looking like long bars) and sharp-edged shapes (like stars). Participants were then asked which shape they thought was called "bubba" and which shape was called "kiki," with the majority labeling the round shape as "bubba" and the spiked image. For "Jiji". The experiment shows how the brain makes connections based on sounds and shapes, regardless of language.
The first version of the test was originally conducted in 1924 by Georgian psychologist Uznadze, who showed participants six different drawings and asked them to choose names from a list. In 1929, psychologist Wolfgang Kohler modified the experiment, showing a group of participants a spiky shape and a round shape and asking them which was "takete" and which was "maluma." It wasn't until neuroscientists VR Ramachandran and Edward Hubbard repeated the experiment in 2001 that the terms "bouba" and "kiki" were used to describe shapes similar to the one below.
Now that you've seen these shapes with your own eyes, you can see why the spots are "bouba" and the pointed stars are "kiki," right? Well, more than two decades after Ramachandran and Hubbard introduced fake words into the world, TikToker @talialichtenstein has found a new way to use the Bouba-Kiki test in 2023 — this time, to describe her celebrity obsession.
In a TikTok posted on March 6, the creator began the video by saying, "There's something that's always made sense in my head, but I don't know if other people understand it." She then addressed Bubba - The Kiki Effect explains it briefly and then sums it up in the best way possible: "If you get it, you get it. If you don't, you don't."
After making sure everyone was up to date, Lichtenstein began to explain her perspective on the phenomenon. "I've always felt like some people are either 'Bubba' or 'Kiki,'" TikToker said. "And the type of man I like, the type of man I'm attracted to, is 'bubba.' Never 'kiki.' "Again, if you get it, you get it. If you don't, you don't.
The creator says she's always had a hard time explaining her type because people often mistake her common descriptors — "dark beard, dark hair, dark eyes" — for someone who's simply not her type The "kiki" man. In this case, she used Ian Somerhalder, Chase Crawford, Zac Efron, Robert Pattinson, and Austin Butler as what she considered "Kiki" In the case of people, it is suggested that their "tough" characteristics are the reason.
As for the men she likes, Oscar Isaac and Jason Segel are among the famous names to have earned the title "Bubba" Liechtenstein. She also listed Michael B. Jordan as a member of the "Bubba" group, saying, "He's very sculptural and conventionally sexy, but he's a 'Bubba.'" Yes. To me it makes sense. Despite having a sculpted face and sharp jawline, the viral creator calls Jon Hamm another "Bubba" man for the same reason.
Besides having a "soft nose," Lichtenstein did not possess the qualities a man must have to fall into the "Bubba" category. Although this is not surprising since, similar to the actual Bubba-Kiki test, it can be difficult to put into words what makes someone a "Bubba" and what makes them a "Kiki" - which seems to be A feeling that matters more than anything else. Clearly, her sentiments about the test resonated with people, because as of March 13, the video has more than 1.7 million likes on TikTok.
If Lichtenstein's version of the Bubba-Cheechee Effect makes sense to you, buckle up because the creator has more than a passing take on psychological testing. In a follow-up video posted on March 8, the TikToker shared that she actually describes everything as "bouba" or "kiki," not just her taste in men.
Starting simple, she calls the pillow "Bubba" and the knife "Kiki," and if you're already into the whole Bubba-Kiki thing, these comparisons probably need no explanation. Her examples then become more abstract, referring to the likes of New Orleans, Gilmore Girls, and The Wolf Man as "Bubba," while Phoenix, Arizona, Sex and the City , and Dracula 》are called "Qiqi". "It's not good, it's not bad," the creator clarified. “It just resonates and resonates.”
Whether you start using the Bubba-Chi Chi Effect to explain your type or describe everything in your home, the creator will probably be happy to know that someone out there gets it. If you don’t do it… you just don’t do it.
