Have You Ever Heard of Cute Aggression? Find Out The Science Behind It

Ever see a puppy or baby that's so cute, you just wanted to squeeze it?! Here's why.

Transcript

00:00You've probably heard grandma say, you're so cute, I could eat you up.

00:08Or maybe you've seen an adorable puppy and had the urge to squeeze it.

00:12Scientists say too much cuteness can cause what's known as cute aggression.

00:17A University of California study inspired by previous Yale research suggests it doesn't mean you want to cause harm.

00:24It seems to be an involuntary response for being overwhelmed by positive emotions.

00:29Researchers analyzed the brain's electrical activity in 54 adults as they looked at images of animals and people of varying cute levels.

00:38Cuteness overload was associated with more activity in parts of the brain involving emotion and our reward system.

00:44So the brain may form aggressive thoughts to balance out the overwhelmingly positive feelings.

00:49The findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.