# When did the concept of "cuteness" start appearing in human society?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-concept-of-cuteness-start-appearing-in-human-society/949186>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 20, 2021, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-concept-of-cuteness-start-appearing-in-human-society/949186 "2021-08-20T01:24:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![blabbermeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9a140/32.png) [@blabbermeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blabbermeister)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-concept-of-cuteness-start-appearing-in-human-society/949186/1 "2021-08-20T01:24:43Z")

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Did the ancient Egyptians/Romans/Greeks/Indigenous Americas/Chinese/Indian/etc. cultures have the concept of cuteness? Did their languages have a word for what we today describe as cute, such as baby animals, anime characters with big eyes, anything miniature compared to the normal size item, such as a miniature stapler - or maybe in those days a miniature statue or miniature axe.

Or is cuteness as we know it today a fairly modern concept?

Thank you.

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**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-concept-of-cuteness-start-appearing-in-human-society/949186/2 "2021-08-20T01:46:26Z")

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I always thought cuteness was basically about our nurturing instinct, that allows our absurdly helpless and annoying offspring to survive.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-concept-of-cuteness-start-appearing-in-human-society/949186/3 "2021-08-20T12:44:19Z")

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Probably about a hundred million years before humans evolved. All animals that care extensively for their young (which includes all mammals) have instincts to respond more favorably to things that look like babies. “Cuteness” is just a human term for that instinct as it manifests in us.

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**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-concept-of-cuteness-start-appearing-in-human-society/949186/4 "2021-08-20T15:06:07Z")

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> **[Cuteness](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuteness)**
>
> Pages for logged out editors learn more
> 
> 			 
> Cuteness is a subjective term describing a type of attractiveness commonly associated with youth and appearance, as well as a scientific concept and analytical model in ethology, first introduced by Konrad Lorenz. Lorenz proposed the concept of baby schema (Kindchenschema), a set of facial and body features that make a creature appear "cute" and activate ("release") in others the motivation to care for it. Cuteness may be ascribed to people as w...

Not much on the history of the concept, but I was surprised by the research into how cuteness is defined.

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**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-concept-of-cuteness-start-appearing-in-human-society/949186/5 "2021-08-20T20:32:15Z")

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when the ancient feline species realized it could sucker the ancient humans into raising its offspring with big eyes and purring …