We’ve all been there. One minute you’re searching for something serious, like a recipe for dinner, or something for work, and the next you’ve been sucked in by endless videos of cats doing funny things after seeing a catchy title in your suggested videos column. They’re compelling, engrossing and captivating, and you can end up spending hours watching kittens make funny noises or mistiming jumps. But why do these videos so often end up going viral? What makes them so enthralling? And why are they more popular than dog videos?

我们都去过那里。前一分钟你还在搜索一些严肃的东西，比如晚餐食谱或工作所需的东西，下一分钟你在看到推荐视频栏中吸引人的标题后就被没完没了的猫做有趣事情的视频所吸引。它们引人入胜、引人入胜、引人入胜，您最终可能会花几个小时看着小猫发出有趣的声音或错误地跳跃。但为什么这些视频最终会像病毒一样传播开来？是什么让他们如此迷人？为什么它们比狗视频更受欢迎？

First, let’s talk about stereotypes. When many of us think about dogs, we imagine them rolling over onto their backs, tongues hanging out, or making a mess. They seem trusting and innocent – and they do silly things. Cats, on the other hand, seem somewhat more refined and independent. There’s a reason we have an expression ‘cool cat’. In short, cats seem more serious – and savvy. If we can get one over on a cat and make them do something like get in a box that slides down a hill, it’s comical. But with a dog, it’s not as funny because they trust you – and it’s easier. Tricking a cat, due to their wiliness, has more payoff.

首先，让我们谈谈刻板印象。当我们中的许多人想到狗时，我们会想象它们翻身仰卧、伸出舌头或弄得一团糟。他们看起来很信任而且天真无邪——而且他们会做一些愚蠢的事情。另一方面，猫似乎更文雅、更独立。我们有一个表达“酷猫”的原因。简而言之，猫似乎更严肃——也更精明。如果我们能让一个人骑在一只猫身上，让他们做一些事情，比如钻进一个从山上滑下来的盒子，那就太可笑了。但是对于狗来说，这就没那么有趣了，因为它们信任你——而且更容易。欺骗猫，由于他们的狡猾，有更多的回报。

The internet is filled with videos of cats making funny faces or reacting strangely. But why are they so funny? Well, simply – it’s unexpected. If you saw a cat walking down the street coolly or observing and preparing to attack a mouse, it wouldn’t be funny. But if that cat was walking sideways, wearing a silly costume, or becoming best friends with the mouse, suddenly we might start to laugh. Watching a cat that is normally majestic walk clunkily or pull a bizarre face is hilarious because it’s not something we would normally associate with that animal. It’s like watching someone who is normally very serious get the giggles. In some ways, we’re all laughing at their fall from grace.

互联网上充斥着猫做鬼脸或做出奇怪反应的视频。但他们为什么这么有趣？嗯，很简单——这是出乎意料的。如果你看到一只猫冷静地走在街上，或者观察并准备攻击一只老鼠，那就不好笑了。但是，如果那只猫侧身行走，穿着一身愚蠢的服装，或者与老鼠成为最好的朋友，我们可能会突然开始大笑。看着一只通常威严的猫笨拙地走路或拉着一张怪异的脸是很有趣的，因为我们通常不会把它与那只动物联系起来。这就像看着一个通常非常严肃的人被咯咯笑了起来。在某些方面，我们都在嘲笑他们失宠。

So the next time you see one of those many memes of cats in awkward situations or videos that make you chuckle, try to remember why it’s so funny. And spare a thought for all those dogs that are trying to entertain us too.

因此，下次当您看到猫处于尴尬境地的许多模因或让您咯咯笑的视频时，请试着记住它为什么如此有趣。想想所有那些也想招待我们的狗。

词汇表

suck in 陷入
compelling 引人入胜的
engrossing 非常有趣的
captivating 令人着迷的
viral （在网络上）迅速传播的
enthralling 吸引人的
stereotype 成见
refined 优雅的
cool cat 时尚的人
savvy 精明的
get one over on 捉弄
trick 戏弄
wiliness 狡猾
unexpected 意想不到的
majestic 高贵的，有威严的
clunkily 笨拙地
pull a face 做鬼脸
the giggles 咯咯傻笑，笑个不停
fall from grace 失态
meme （用当下流行文化素材配上文字的）自制表情包