# What is the evolutionary reason for so many people finding baby animals cuter than human babies?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-evolutionary-reason-for-so-many-people-finding-baby-animals-cuter-than-human-babies/729760>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 2, 2015, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-evolutionary-reason-for-so-many-people-finding-baby-animals-cuter-than-human-babies/729760 "2015-09-02T23:55:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 3

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-evolutionary-reason-for-so-many-people-finding-baby-animals-cuter-than-human-babies/729760/41 "2015-09-09T03:57:50Z")

</div>

> [@harmonicamoon](#):
>
> Here in Mexico, over 100,000 neighbors, family, fellow humans have died due to the drug war. Very little was said.
> 
> In a town close to mine, a puppy had its eyes gouged out and was sexually abused, and the news went viral. Everyone was all over it. Saying for this we need capital punishment. And rewards were offered for the arrest.
> 
> Yet, over 100,000 humans are dead. And nothing.

Well, I’d also be horrified to hear about a _human_ that was sexually abused and had their eyes gouged out. There’s something more shocking and real about such a description, rather than just a number.

But, I also think like **Hail Ants** mentioned, and you’re alluding, modern cultural attitudes to animals come into play here.

When an animal bites someone, say, we say they’re just acting out of instinct and have no malicious intent. But when they’re doing positive behaviours, we like to say they’re showing compassion, affection etc.  
So in the modern, western view, animals are simply good, or at the very least innocent, in a way humans could never be; no-one would dispute humans can be jerks and do evil things.

This is why I think some people say they care more about the lives of certain animals than humans – they know bad humans and good humans, but only good dogs, therefore dogs = better.  
(a position I find abhorrent btw – I’m definitely an animal lover but think a human life is always more important)

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-evolutionary-reason-for-so-many-people-finding-baby-animals-cuter-than-human-babies/729760.md?page=2)