This Tokyo professor has one of the world's most unusual PhDs. His entire field of study is 'cuteness'

In today's world, there are countless academic degrees to study and pursue. Joshua Paul Dale, a Tokyo-based professor and researcher, paved his own path and founded a new field of studies called "Cute Studies" or "Cuteness Studies." His interest in cute things began after moving to Tokyo. He noted the difference between American cuteness and Japanese "kawaii" culture, and felt the need to explore it. Dale's unique PhD degree caught the eye of cuteness influencer Zoë Nobileau (@zoenobileau). Her May 26 video about Dale reached 984,000 views, 145,000 likes, and received 611 comments.

Essence of cuteness

Dale is the first person in the world to create a systematic research project to study the history and development of "cuteness." The purpose of his study is to bridge the gap in understanding how the history of "cute" and "kawaii" influences are expressed today. When Dale first arrived in Japan, he was more into the "avant-garde" side of the country, but it slowly changed. 

He told Michael Motamedi, the host of the Matador Network podcast, "And then about 10 years ago, I just began to notice that there’s all this cute stuff around." Nobileau explained that the study of cuteness has been marginalised because it was thought to be "girly" and "frivolous." It is still largely an under-researched space in academia, and no prior research has attempted to integrate both the sciences and humanities when studying cuteness.

The two main areas of his study included "the science of cute" and "cuteness in culture." Dale explained how the human brain has always been attracted to cute things. This is why humans are often drawn to babies. Certain features, such as their big eyes, chubby cheeks, short legs, and feet, are what make them "irresistibly cute." In fact, anything that has these characters would elicit a feeling of cuteness, according to Dale. 

Modern technology and cuteness

In terms of cuteness of culture, Dale pointed when the Kewpie dolls were produced in 1912, marking an important milestone in American cuteness. They were the first dolls to become extremely popular internationally. The Kewpie dolls were symbols of innocence and "naïve cunning." Japanese "kawaii," on the other hand, was different. It began thousands of years ago, and the evidence was in their scrolls. 

Descriptions and illustrations of cute things can be found in their literature and art. However, what truly spread the cuteness culture far and wide was modern technology. Mass production helped launch the Kewpie dolls worldwide, and the internet popularized "kawaii" globally.

Market for cuteness

Dale shared that "cuteness" is both a commodity aesthetic and an everyday aesthetic. While it brings companies millions of dollars, it also evokes joy and happiness in ordinary people. He even claimed that it can improve their mental condition. The "kawaii" phenomenon is not limited to children, but includes adults too. A report by Mordor Intelligence found that the demand for adult collectibles is booming. The market size is expected to reach $8.25 billion by 2030. At the moment, the market is dominated by 'kawaii' kits. These include Kuromi, Sanrio, and anime-related merchandise.

Many were surprised that such a study existed, and there were a handful of people in the comments who were actually studying it. Feeling like they missed out, @reeshnaebrahim wrote, "Why did no one tell me this existed when I was in school?" @ebonyincognito wrote, "I love people who create new studies and academic niches!"

You can follow Zoë Nobileau (@zoenobileau) on Instagram for more cuteness and lifestyle content.

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