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leek, slim-legged, edgy and — most importantly — cute. Packed with sugar-sweet pop tunes (e.g. “Dilemma”, “Love is You”), unbelievably cute slogans (chibi 3 times) and cute dance routines the members of Indonesian girl band Cherrybelle have cute down to a science.

Unmistakably, Cherrybelle is the latest phenomenon selling all things cute in Indonesia. They entered the pop market at the right time, following the more established large pop girl groups like the 9-member Girls’ Generation from South Korea, or the 92-member AKB48 from Japan. They have hooked millions of hearts across the country in relatively short amount of time proving one thing — cute sells.

Originating from Japan, cuteness (or kawaii, ke ai, or guiyuhwoon in Japanese, Mandarin and Korean, respectively) has transformed everything from product design, music, fashion, food packaging and serving, to animated characters and even mannerisms.

Cuteness is multidimensional and includes being child-like; having adorable physical features such as large eyes and a small nose; particular personality traits like innocence (Hello Kitty), imaginative (the propeller on Doraemon’s head), techie (digital Tamagotchi pets) and many others.

It does not promote sex, and hence is appealing to diverse demographics of men and women, children and their parents.

Could there be a specific genetic trait in humans that gives them a weak spot for anything “cute”? Is “cuteness” a weak spot only among Asians or does it also hold the same appeal for the broader human race?

 If the Kennedys have a certain gene that blinds them from seeing “dangers” in politics, it might worth speculating how genetics may play a role in the diffusion of cute culture. This is an interesting question for marketing scientists, socio-psychologists and bio-statisticians.

Like a selfish gene in the evolution of species, cuteness evolves through processes of variation, mutation, competition, and inheritance. It is a form of meme, a cultural unit that evolves by natural selection.

It propagates and replicates in order to avoid extinction. In the process of propagation and replication, there are errors — by design, mistake, and creative recombination — which give birth to new types of cuteness.

The folks in showbiz or anime know too well how to produce (or vary) new forms of cute girl/boy groups. Mickey Mouse was once a scary character for children.

Disney learned from its mistakes and gradually over many decades Mickey has been drawn cuter by shortening his limbs and enlarging the size of his eyes.

The eyes of Hello Kitty resemble those of cuddly Panda bears — and appear to be one of the winning traits of cuteness. The easy-to-remember pop tunes, the petite size of the members, the mix of Indonesian and English lyrics are the specific variations of cuteness engineered for Cherrybelle that we won’t find in Girls’ Generation or AKB48.

Cuteness is a gift in humans. God must have allowed cuteness in humans to remain long enough so that parents will care for their children longer due to their cuteness. Imagine if your baby is “born old” like Brad Pitt in the film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Caring for a wrinkly baby might not be that fun.

If the old proverb “no matter how old you are, you remain a baby in the eyes of your mom” is real, it makes sense why mothers still adore their children no matter how old they have grown.

Scientific evidence suggests that humans skulls are “cuter” than those of the Neanderthals, which gave humans the advantage of nurturing instincts as opposed to the Neanderthals, and hence achieved territorial dominance.

Humans — hard-wired by evolution — are highly susceptible to juvenilized visual cues, which affect many aspects of their life decisions, choices, and destinations.

People with cuter faces tend to be perceived as warmer, more honest, and believe it or not, are more likely to be selected for jobs and promotions.

History shows how artists (with typically cuter faces than the general population) have been elected into positions in government and even the presidency.

It makes sense because cuteness signals positive facial and emotional expressions in social interactions that enhance cooperation (essential for success) and discourage rivalries.

The prolonged duration of formal education in modern society lends scientists, professors, and larger number of the elderly “immature manners and behaviors” such as curiosity, playfulness, affection and social interaction as they continue to be child-like to continue learning and developing.

Penguins are likely to receive benefit from conservation efforts from humans due to their waddle, which resembles human baby. Pandas — with their non-threatening eyes and non-aggressive behavior — are China’s popular “export” of soft influence to many parts of the world. South Korea exports cute K-pop girlie band exports worldwide.

Apple’s success started with Jonathan Ive’s cute, apple-like desktops that stole the hearts of designers and other high-end users, before trickling down to the masses.

“Cuteness” — by design or inheritance — seems to be a winning strategy for the survival of the species, for business success, competition in love, politics, and a myriad of other things. Certainly, there is such a thing as cute economics.

The writer is assistant professor of marketing at the University of Leeds, UK.