We all recognize it: when we see or hold a cute baby or puppy, we suddenly feel the urge to squeeze it. No stress, this phenomenon happens to everyone. As long as you don’t actually squeeze the baby or puppy, it is completely normal. But where does this ‘aggression’ come from?
The reward system is activated
The phenomenon that people like to squeeze cute things is no coincidence. It is an explainable psychological phenomenon that all people experience to varying degrees. For example, the reward system in our brain is activated when perceiving cute things. The activation of the reward system causes the release of dopamine, which makes us want more of what we see. There also appear to be improvements, for example in productivity, through exposure to cute things.
The cause of cute aggression
But now the question remains where does that ‘cute aggression’ come from? To explain this, we use the concept of dimorphic expression, in other words: the expression of an emotion seems to contradict the feeling that is experienced. This also explains the tendency to squeeze cute things.
What is the purpose of this ‘cute aggression’ was also a big question mark for researchers. Ultimately, in 2012, two researchers named Rebecca Dyer and Oriana Aragon found the following: perceiving cute things creates a need for care in most people that can only be partially met. This may lead to frustration and a feeling of loss of control. To recover from these feelings, your brain evokes an emotion from the opposite direction, potentially containing the original emotion. According to Anna Brooks, the frustration that unconsciously arises from ‘cute aggression’ becomes even stronger when there is no opportunity to physically touch the cute thing.
According to Anna Brooks, professor of cognitive neuroscience, there is an evolutionary explanation for this: the human brain, especially when we are emotional, needs a lot of energy. To ensure that we do not put too much energy into things, it is essential that the brain is able to regulate these emotional responses.
Recognizable?
Have you ever been so sad that you cried really hard, only to start laughing hysterically two minutes later? According to Brooks, this can be compared to ‘cute aggression’.
Fun fact: there are even words for this behavior. For example, the word “gigil” in Filipino Tagalog means “the grinding of the teeth and the tendency to nip or poke something that is unbearably cute.”
