When we see a small horse, it's cute, a small dog, a kitten, baby lamb, miniature versions of things we see on a larger scale on an every day basis. What's up with that?
2007-03-27 03:48:08 · 24 answers · asked by Hot Coco Puff 7 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
What you're talking about is called neoteny, which is when adult species retain the traits of infants.
Big eyes, small face, big heads, small bodies–all those kinds of things.
Some professionals say that the reason people like cute things is because it triggers a nurturing response for things that look like babies or look non-threatening.. This all goes back to an evolutionary role in protecting the young to ensure the survival of the species.
2007-03-27 03:55:59 · answer #1 · answered by holliskate 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Evolution!
It's got to do with how young things (which usually happen to be very small-bodied, limipid-/large-eyed and sooooo cute!) need protection and are very vulnerable. The more protectors our hypothetical cute thing has, the more likely it's going to get a chance to grow up into an adult, not-so-cute thing and pass on the genes. And of course, genes are all-important. Without a variety of genes, we have no biodiversity and become susceptible to devastating epidemics, where pathogens have only got to figure out how to attack one member of the population in order to get at the rest, since they're all similar.
So remember -
cute thing + adoring protector = genes = evolution = survival
2007-03-27 11:21:19 · answer #2 · answered by tigertrot1986 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Do you mean like small women being cutest han say Claudia Schiffer I suppose small women would like to think so but it is tall womwn that are Idolised and Iconised .
e like small things because they look vulnerable babies , furry animals Little Girls etc . that's why if there trying to wrench money for a charity or '' Good cause '' they will use a little female , but we must see past this manipulation and see what it all about small animals
2007-03-27 13:47:42 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it's because they are so vulnerable in this world, and because they are small whilst we're used to the big things being serious, i.e babies are playful, clueless, and adorable- looking but adults have passed that stage so they're now serious, argumentitive and sometimes it's nice to have a change from the same people.
Also we love to see, let's say a foal, because it's kind of touching to see a foal struggling to stand up, and their large enticing eyes as it takes its first few steps into the new world
2007-03-27 11:29:08 · answer #4 · answered by Earth 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I think it stem's from the fact that we need to protect children because of there helpless, defenceless size. So anything that is of smaller than usual size we tend to channel that feeling of protectivness and uncoindtional love, so in conclusion we find smaller things cute as we do small children.
2007-03-27 14:14:33 · answer #5 · answered by kissaled 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
obviously there's a difference between "small" and "baby"
the reason people find baby animals cute is because there's something in their appearance that has evolved to make them look physically vulnerable and appealing when they are very young so that their mothers, or some other animal or person, will look after them until they can fend for themselves. (I think its partly the big eyes). that's why babies and baby animals look appealing to us
I dont think we're programmed necessarily to find "small" animals etc cute - it's not the size so much as the baby features. a spider is small but it certainly aint cute!!
2007-03-27 10:54:03 · answer #6 · answered by G*I*M*P 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Cute is a good example of how a shortened form of a word can take on a life of its own. Cute was originally a shortened form of acute in the sense "to see, with approval, something as different". Probably cute came to be used as a term of approval for things demonstrating acuteness, and so it went on to develop its own sense of "pretty, fetching, attractive, especially in a dainty, pretty, pleasing way".
2007-03-27 13:36:52 · answer #7 · answered by Sue 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Maybe it's a subconcious reaction. Small things, especially small living things (babies, kittens, etc) are fragile and weak, so we see them as precious. Jewels, toys, ornaments... they're all small and precious to us in some way. I think cute just evolved out of the word precious.
2007-03-27 10:57:13 · answer #8 · answered by TooMuch 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
There are specific features that we feel protective towards:
rounded head
big eyes
small nose
etc...
When we se those things we become protective. That's why our babies are kept realtively safe by us. Other mammal babies have similar features for the same reason.
2007-03-27 11:25:05 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
We are actually biologically programmed to respond to small things with big eyes so that we don't abandon our offspring.
Babies are born with the size eyeballs they will have all their life. Because of that, their eyes appear large in their face. We are programmed to respond to that with nurturing.
This is why women enhance the size of their eyes with makeup. It brings out the protective\nurturing response in men.
2007-03-27 10:54:34 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋