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Why are we genetically programmed to find animals so cute? I would think as an omnivore finding your food cute would be counterproductive.
My hypothesis is that we are supposed to eat meat as a last resort and prefer vegetables. So their cuteness acts as a deterrent so we prefer them less...
Though the fact that meat tastes so good would seem to be a counterargument to that theory...
@freemo The reason, as I understand it, is because the animals we tend to find cute have similar facial proportions to human babies (i.e. big eyes). Cats fit this pattern especially.
@LouisIngenthron @freemo Thinking about that aspect, it also requires a wide number of species to become cute by natural selection as a result of human hunting. Which is a relatively recent thing and certainly not at a global scale.
More likely because there are common mammalian ancestors, hence facial morphologies, that kin affinity is lurking in the background. Many cute creatures have also been selectively bred over thousands of years, since their first domestication as useful tools.
