Fourteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

Cuteness refers to a type of attractiveness related to the appearance of youth and innocence. Scientific definitions of cuteness largely draw from theories established by Konrad Lorenz (1943), who proposed the theory of Kindchenschema which defines cuteness as a biological response to certain stimuli associated with human infants. The purely biological basis of the theory shirks the potential relevance of socio-cultural factors. The given study seeks to utilize semiotic, cultural, and biological theories in the study of cuteness as perceived in animal characters and mascots and seeks to propose an alternative model that extends beyond biology into the socio-cultural realm. By means of a proof of concept survey among 533 participants in sixty-one countries, this research points out demographic trends that further challenge existing notions of cuteness by asserting the role of cultural and social factors that play a role in the overall perception of cuteness. This research then suggests a reliance on the Kindchenschema as a foundational basis for an research into and the understanding of cuteness severely limits the application and extension of these theories. In conclusion, this research moves beyond cuteness and discusses the interplay of culture and biology and the need for the inclusion of socio-cultural perspectives in biological research.