Why do we feel the need to care for things that are cute, like puppies and kittens? Austrian biologist Konrad Lorenz came up with his "kinderschema" or child scheme, which is a list of physical characteristics that define what we consider cute. He observed that cute animals share these same traits with babies, which accesses human's nurturing and protective instincts. There's even a name for this: Neotony.

Produced by Rob Ludacer



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