Kawaii culture wasn’t only crystallizing at that time, but also becoming big business. The 1980s were more than happy to follow suit, ushering in a plethora of cutesy idols, both male and female.

“I think kawaii, or cute feelings, reminds us of human connection that we sometimes forget,” says Hiroshi Nittono, director of the Cognitive Psychophysiology Laboratory at Osaka University.

The word kawaii (a Japanese word which is a rough equivalent of cute) is becoming an international word. However, why cute things attract us and how they affect our mind are not clear.