Charlotte and I ran into this little rascal after the concert at Slottsträdgårdens Kafé tonight. Some kind of Havanese and Shih Tzu mix. Shaken, not stirred.

There’s just something about puppies – and basically all mammalian young (and even some reptiles, like baby turtles) – that makes them utterly irresistible. Nature’s way of hacking our brains with pure adorableness.

According to Konrad Lorenz’s Kindchenschema, we’re biologically wired to respond to infantile features – big eyes, round heads, tiny noses – with affection and care. Attachment theory also plays a role, as our brains are tuned to bond and nurture anything that triggers a sense of vulnerability or dependence. And then there’s the reward theory of cuteness, which suggests that seeing adorable creatures activates our brain’s dopamine system – like a hit of feel-good nature-generated clickbait.