Studio 360 considers the strange force of cuteness, and our biological urge to say, “awww!” or sometimes “ugggh” when we encounter the cute. And in Japan, anxieties about the atomic bomb may be masked in cuteness. Plus, a live set of smart indie pop from the band “Stars.”
Kismet with Cynthia Breazeal, postdoctoral fellow at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab working in the Humanoid Robotics Group. Anne Foerst worked with Breazeal on designing the robot."
(Donna Coveney)
Big Eyes
Big eyes are appealing on anything -- babies, cartoon characters, Jake Gyllenhaal. But our fondness for big eyes is the work of nature, not Disney. Studio 360’s Eric Molinsky found out how evolutionary psychology muscled its way into pop culture.
Gary Cross
Gary Cross is the author of The Cute and the Cool, a study of how and why adults project cuteness onto their children -- and how our children are constantly rebelling against it. His other books include Kids' Stuff: Toys and the Changing ...
Hello Kawaii
Japan has embraced cuteness with a vengeance -- from the ubiquitous Hello Kitty to the successful artist-designer Takashi Murakami, the Andy Warhol of Japan. Sarah Lilley tries to figure out why an ancient culture like Japan’s would strive to be super adorable.
Hate Cute
Cute is supposed to appeal universally, but some people just don’t get it. Tamar Brott has some thoughts to share about being cute-averse in a too-cute world.
Stars
The Canadian invasion strikes again. Stars hails from Montreal -- their recent album is In Our Bedroom After the War. Band members Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan explain how they balance their dark lyrics with their lush sound. And they ...
Featured Comments
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Yes...This was the best Studio 360 I've ever heard... and "Tesla" is STILL an incredible Band as well.... (they will ...
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Great Story. Every high school physics and electronics class should listen to this!
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