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Why are we genetically programmed to find animals so cute? I would think as an omnivore finding your food cute would be counterproductive.
My hypothesis is that we are supposed to eat meat as a last resort and prefer vegetables. So their cuteness acts as a deterrent so we prefer them less...
Though the fact that meat tastes so good would seem to be a counterargument to that theory...
@LouisIngenthron While there might be some truth to that I find things cute that are completely foreign to human likeness. In fact I find most animals, even insicts, to be cute.
Also if this truely is a disadvantage to wanting to eat them I would think our brains would have created some extra barriers.
@freemo Okay, well I think you might be in the minority there, lol
@LouisIngenthron Perhaps, but its not as unusual as it sounds... I do know lots of people that find almost all animals to be cute. maybe ill do an informal poll to see how much in the margins I really am :)
So started a poll here: https://qoto.org/@freemo/111296289415112384
It is very early but so far 80%+ think all animals, including insects, are cute :)
@freemo Mastodon may not be the most impartial place to hold that particular poll, lol, but I am interested to see the final results.
@LouisIngenthron there is nothing remotely scientific about such a poll, and yea there will be bias for sure.
@freemo Looks like it came out pretty balanced, lol. Neither of our claims are well-supported. I was expecting much more of a blowout.
@LouisIngenthron indeed, interesting
@LouisIngenthron @freemo Thinking about that aspect, it also requires a wide number of species to become cute by natural selection as a result of human hunting. Which is a relatively recent thing and certainly not at a global scale.
More likely because there are common mammalian ancestors, hence facial morphologies, that kin affinity is lurking in the background. Many cute creatures have also been selectively bred over thousands of years, since their first domestication as useful tools.
@freemo Are you sure its just not an evolutionary trait on behalf of the meat. Look Cute, don't get eaten.
@Extelec I dont see anyone rushing to want to eat Trump :)
@freemo There is the other side of this, look incredibly ugly, don't get eaten. There is a canny valley of edible food ?
bonifartius 𒂼𒄄
@freemo well, the proportions of babies (at least mammals) are hard wired into the brain to look cute.
@bonifartius I find everything in this pciture cute except for the top right human
@freemo for me the baby variants are "cute" while the normal variants invoke more of "fellow being"-feel for me :)
This is Mur 
@freemo
I counteract your statement,
cause if it looks good, it tastes good 
@freemo I'd say the genetic disposition would be relevant for the timespan humanity didn't specialize. If most people don't see the transition from animal to meat, i think the effects can easily be ignored, and humans are good at ignoring stuff they don't like and cannot change easily.
So the question would be: did primitive humans find animals cute?
@admitsWrongIfProven @freemo They might have seen the mostly helpless babies and decided to see what happens when they raise them. I believe our brains release similar chemicals as other mammals when caring for an animal. It seems like affection is more likely than finding an animal as cute.
Perhaps this was done by very simple people with animals who were equally special or it could have been the brightest of both species. For cats it was likely manipulation from the start. Dogs would protect their pack.
Perhaps it's like marriage where both parties help when needed but otherwise avoid each other.
With some animals, especially milk producing animals, it can be found in our genetics. For domesticated animals, like the dog, they had a similar mutation that allowed for a diet with more grain. We likely bonded in harsh times and both wear a ball and chain because of our relationship.
I don't know how I feel about what I just wrote but I did write it.
@freemo I suspect it's just coincidence. We're genetically programmed to find at least human babies cute (um, once they've stopped looking like gremlins, I guess), and I wouldn't be surprised if as an evolutionary hold-over from when we were all the things before humans that evolution finds it much easier to specify "find anything that looks young cute" over being species-specific for humanity.
I would not kill domesticated animals to feed myself to be honest. I am not a vegetarian/vegan person but I do consume less meat.
Maybe we simply have to much food to kill them?
@freemo The reason, as I understand it, is because the animals we tend to find cute have similar facial proportions to human babies (i.e. big eyes). Cats fit this pattern especially.