The Cuteness Factor

Many of us have a soft spot for cute animals— time spent on viral YouTube videos is proof. But did you know that attraction is actually instinctual?

A recent study shows that humans are attracted to anything with features similar to those of a baby. Ever seen a baby gorilla? Oh my goodness. And many scientists believe we’ve developed this attraction in order to insure the survival of our young. Additional studies have found that seeing something cute actually goes right to the pleasure centers of our brain, similar to eating sugar or having sex, and a study out of Japan also found that participants performed better on high-concentration activities when they viewed images of cute animals. So, if you find yourself binging on cute kitten videos, just know it’s a part of human nature—and it’s good for you, too.