Cute studies professor explains the science of kawaii

Meet Joshua, a professor at Chuo University in Tokyo, who has been pioneering the field of cute studies. He sits down to talk to us about the difference between cute and kawaii, the development of kawaii culture, and the psychology of cuteness. -- 0:00 Intro 0:50 Meet Joshua 5:15 Interest in kawaii culture 6:37 Cute vs. kawaii 12:54 Kawaii culture 14:36 Forming a new field of study 19:40 Cuteness in Japan 22:47 Origins of the word kawaii 25:56 Cuteness in everyday life 29:45 The "feeling" of cuteness 32:10 Managing cuteness studies research 37:47 Academics vs. culture 41:18 Artists and cute aesthetics 44:22 Japanese academics on cuteness 46:49 Applications of cuteness research 51:56 Spread of kawaii culture 55:45 The future of cute studies -- Follow Joshua: https://www.cutestudies.org/   / dalejoshuapaul   Follow us: https://unpacking.jp/   / unpacking_japan     / unpackingjapan     / unpackingjapan      / @unpackingjapanshorts   https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan https://creators.spotify.com/pod/prof... Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/