system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
How does cuteness work in humans? Why are people often more willing to protect cuter animals?

Basically, why do people find certain animals so cute? Why will some people sometimes take unnecessary risk to save an animal they find cute? EG a kitten over like a possum, or rat, or something. 

I've heard it's because they look like human infants, which is often true, but how about that baby duck, or even some insects? Or how about inanimate cute things, like plushie toys?
gpt
There's a relevant ted talk by daniel dennett that says essentially "cuteness is what we find cute, and cute is the quality of being something we want to help, like a baby. People who didn't find babies cute had their babies die so here we are"