We are all guilty of it. While scrolling through Facebook and/or Twitter, there's a good chance we will come across a cute video one of our friends shared of a baby animal doing something downright adorable. Whether the baby animals are running around, sleeping or playing with some pals, we can't seem to scroll past these addictive videos. And once we press play, chances are we watch three, four... 20 more. The question is, why? Why do we find these videos so frickin' cute?

Believe it or not, there's actually a science behind it. Whether you are a stone-cold gal or guy, the mushiest of us all or just an avid social media user, these videos make us all "goo goo ga ga." They draw the "awww" from even the most unfriendly folk all because... well, it boils down to our being human.

Ethologist Konrad Lorenz proposed that certain human infantile features affect our perception of cuteness. However, Lorenz's research did not extend into the realm of other species; he particularly focused on the effects of human infants on other individuals. The infantile characteristics Lorenz pinpointed are categorized into the baby schema. The baby schema consists of infantile physical features such as a "large head, high and protruding forehead, large eyes, chubby cheeks, small nose and mouth, short and thick extremities and a plump body shape."

For example, look at the baby girl above. Her large eyes, chubby cheeks and narrow nose and mouth work together to elicit caretaking behavior from other individuals. Human infants and young children are essentially helpless and require this care. Research suggests that this automatic nurture and the characteristics of the baby schema are closely connected. The human bias toward the baby schema is thought to be an adaptive response and enhances offspring survival. In other words, these specific characteristics make babies appear cuter than they would when they are fully grown and therefore motivate a nurturing response.

However, this does not answer the question regarding the human instinct to nurture baby animals of other species.

Simon Rego, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, holds the leading theory. He suggests that the reason we find baby animals so adorable is because their features remind us of human babies (also known as the baby schema). The classic large eyes, chubby cheeks and small nose and mouth can be seen in many of the cutest baby animals. Puppies, kittens, piglets, baby bunnies and ducklings are a few of the species that exhibit the baby schema and, much like the human species, they all require nurturing of their youth. Animals such as sharks, lizards and snakes are a few examples of species that do not require nurture after birth. For this reason, they do not have the baby schema and generally, humans do not find them adorable or cute.

While this research seems obscure and not applicable to our daily lives, we actually see the baby schema every day and not necessarily in babies. Corporations such as Disney use the baby schema to make their characters—both human and animal—cuter. Characters such as Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, "Lilo and Stitch"'s Stitch and even "Frozen"'s Elsa exhibit the tell-tale characteristics of the baby schema. Research proves that children and adults alike prefer pictures of infants over adults. Although Disney's characters are not infants, they exhibit the infantile characteristics of the baby schema making them more eye-catching to humans of all ages.

Now we know... we can't help watching one, two, three... 20 baby animals videos because we are human! So next time someone pokes fun at your baby animal addiction, let them know that by denying the cuteness, they are also denying the biological and chemical assets of being a human being.

And because we can't help it, here's one for the road.