Why Do Bears Look So Friendly and Cuddly?

The actual title of the article is ‘If Not Friend, Why Friend-Shaped?’ which speaks to the quirkiness of human perception. Have we been influenced by Paddington Bear, Yogi Bear, Winnie-the-Pooh, and Smokey Bear? Maybe, but the reason bears have been turned into so many pop culture characters is because they look so friendly in the first place. Experts were asked why we look at bears this way, and have a few ideas. Bears resemble dogs, which are man's best friend. Bears remind us of humans, too, since they live where we do, eat like we do (anything from honey to pic-a-nic baskets), and sometimes even walk like we do. Also, they tend to appear rotund, which signals harmlessness to humans who aren't that familiar with real bears. Bear cubs are adorable for their own reasons, and grow up to retain some of the baby features we find attractive. And there is at least one kind of bear that isn't all that dangerous and is also infinitely cute- the vegetarian giant panda bear. Read about the factors that make bears "friend-shaped" at Scientific American.  -via Metafilter