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Why We Want to Squeeze Cute, Little Things - The Smithsonian
The response is called ‘cute aggression,’ and a new study suggests it tempers an overwhelming response in the brain
In the delightful presence of chubby babies, fluffy puppies or other adorable little things, it isn’t uncommon to be overwhelmed by a desire to squeeze, pinch or even bite them. You certainly don’t want to hurt the cute creatures—you just want to … squish them. As Jon Hamilton reports for NPR, a recent study may reveal what happens in the brain to fuel this paradoxical response, which scientists refer to as “cute aggression.”
“Cute aggression” was first described in a 2015 study, but most investigations into this phenomenon have been concerned with its behavioral underpinnings, says Katherine Stavropoulos, an assistant professor of special education at the University of California, Riverside and a clinical psychologist with a background in neuroscience. So, as part of an investigation published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, Stavropoulos and her co-author Laura Alba sought to find out how the brain influences our strange response to cute babies and animals.
The response is called ‘cute aggression,’ and a new study suggests it tempers an overwhelming response in the brain
In the delightful presence of chubby babies, fluffy puppies or other adorable little things, it isn’t uncommon to be overwhelmed by a desire to squeeze, pinch or even bite them. You certainly don’t want to hurt the cute creatures—you just want to … squish them. As Jon Hamilton reports for NPR, a recent study may reveal what happens in the brain to fuel this paradoxical response, which scientists refer to as “cute aggression.”
“Cute aggression” was first described in a 2015 study, but most investigations into this phenomenon have been concerned with its behavioral underpinnings, says Katherine Stavropoulos, an assistant professor of special education at the University of California, Riverside and a clinical psychologist with a background in neuroscience. So, as part of an investigation published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, Stavropoulos and her co-author Laura Alba sought to find out how the brain influences our strange response to cute babies and animals.