“It’s so fluffy, I’m gonna dieeee!”
“OMG! that kitten is so cute, I wanna squeeze it to death!”
“Such a cute baby, I wanna pull her cheeks!”
Isn’t that our normal reaction when we see something awfully cute? Something so adorable that it hurts us in all the right ways and makes our hearts feel lighter than a feather! A puppy that makes you go “Aww” and talk funny with your teeth clenched or the umpteen number of cute cat videos you keep watching on YouTube. All that cuteness – you just cannot handle!! But have you ever wondered why we get that uncontrollable urge to squeeze the life out of something utterly cute? Think about it. Isn’t that urge a little too odd? Maybe a little savage?
Well, it transpires that the “I want to hug you to pieces” moments we all have when we see cute things is totally scientific.
The cute experiment (even this sounds so adorable!)
According to a study conducted at the psychology department of Yale University, researchers found out that these emotions are directly linked to aggression. Not harmful aggression – they just channel out a positive form of aggression. The researchers named this as the “cute aggression”. The experiment involved a group of people who were exposed to cute pictures of furry animals and babies. The hypothesis for the experiment was: “Cuter the stimuli, the stronger the aggressive emotions”, which was proven right by their aggressive reactions. A little crazy? Read on.
What is even more strange is that the group was divided into two and each group was provided with bubble wrap. The study shows that people exposed to cuter stimuli burst more bubbles in the bubble wrap than the group who were exposed to moderate cuteness!
WHY? The odds!
So the feeling of wanting to give cute things a squeeze or a pinch is totally normal. Do keep in mind we are talking about innocent threats without actually wanting to do any real harm. Why? Because humans tend to quickly express an opposite emotion whenever they are overwhelmed by a very strong emotion. For instance, crying when you’re overwhelmed with happiness or laughing when you’re too nervous. Our brain quickly switches to an opposite reaction to balance out the excitement and regain emotional equilibrium. Brains, we tell you!
Now let’s all process the cuteness together and thank them for their adorable existence. And someone, please pass the bubble wrap!! CAN.NOT.HANDLE!!
Images: Shutterstock, Giphy,Tumblr
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