# Cuteness -- the chicken or the egg? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 11, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuteness-the-chicken-or-the-egg/643717 "2012-12-11T17:35:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuteness-the-chicken-or-the-egg/643717/1 "2012-12-11T17:35:26Z")
Are babies cute because they have big eyes, or are big eyes cute because babies have them? Mods: Feel free to move this to GD if appropriate. šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuteness-the-chicken-or-the-egg/643717/2 "2012-12-11T17:40:36Z")
Given that a big round head, squealy high pitched sounds, short limbs and several other aspects associated with young offspring are also cute, I think it comes from the fact that young offspring have them. Or young offpsring just happen to coincidentally have pretty much all the cute markers. ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuteness-the-chicken-or-the-egg/643717/3 "2012-12-11T17:40:42Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Are babies cute because they have big eyes, or are big eyes cute because babies have them? > > Mods: Feel free to move this to GD if appropriate. šŸ˜› Puppies are the cutest, followed closely by lion cubs. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuteness-the-chicken-or-the-egg/643717/4 "2012-12-11T17:48:07Z")
Baby chicks are cuter than eggs. Hope that helps. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuteness-the-chicken-or-the-egg/643717/5 "2012-12-11T20:02:23Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Or young offpsring just happen to coincidentally have pretty much all the cute markers. I read once (in some Time/Life book on animal behavior if you need a cite) that warm blooded animals are almost all wired to react to these ā€œbaby animalā€ markers. I suppose the suggestion there is that Iā€™d see a baby cat or duck or otter and feel some parenting instinct but Iā€™d think a predator would just see them as markers for ā€œeasy mealā€. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuteness-the-chicken-or-the-egg/643717/6 "2012-12-11T20:04:24Z")
Parents who see their offspring as attractive are more likely to take good care of them and thus have more living descendants. Simple as that. ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuteness-the-chicken-or-the-egg/643717/7 "2012-12-11T20:28:21Z")
Mariah Carey was really cute when she was in her big, doe-eye with long hair period, circa Music Box. > **[Mariah Carey - ANYTIME YOU NEED A FRIEND (Soul Convention Remix)\* - Amazon.com...](https://www.amazon.com/ANYTIME-NEED-FRIEND-Convention-Remix/dp/B000002CS6)** > > Mariah Carey - ANYTIME YOU NEED A FRIEND (Soul Convention Remix)\* - Amazon.com Music ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuteness-the-chicken-or-the-egg/643717/8 "2012-12-11T20:54:42Z")
> [@GreenElf](#): > > Mariah Carey was really cute when she was in her big, doe-eye with long hair period, circa Music Box. > > [Mariah Carey - ANYTIME YOU NEED A FRIEND (Soul Convention Remix)\* - Amazon.com Music](http://www.amazon.com/Anytime-You-Need-Friend-Music/dp/B000002CS6/ref=sr_1_45?ie=UTF8&qid=1355257672&sr=8-45&keywords=mariah+carey+music+box) Perhaps we should differentiate between different types of cute. There is ā€œIā€™d like to fuck him/herā€ cute and there is ā€œkitten/kawai cuteā€ and, while they may intersect to some degree, theyā€™re still rather different. If, for most people, they intersect at all it is that kitten/kawai cute and fuck him/her cute are related to youth. Mariah Carey in that picture is 24 and could pass for much younger because of her skin and facial features/shape. The intersection may be related to teenage girl-targeted pedophilia; teenage girls go from kitten cute (creating feelings of protection because of their vulnerability) to fucking cute (because of the many years of fertility ahead) and I guess the two can get mixed up. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuteness-the-chicken-or-the-egg/643717/9 "2012-12-13T18:41:06Z")
May I speak honestly? Thanks. Compared to most [mammal babies](http://kawaiphoto.net/wp-content/gallery/cute-cats-and-kittens/kitten-puppy-sleep-together-kawai-photo-1.jpg), human babies are near the bottom of the cute scale. And yes, I have a child. Once you take away the emotional component, babies are mostly blobs of skin that drool, spit up, cry a lot, and poop.