The images used for this study were the same as the ones used in Aragón’s research (and don’t worry - the “less cute” babies were just digitally manipulated in Photoshop). The study tested 54 adults (20 males and 34 females) between ages 18 and 40 by showing them four sets of images - cute babies, less cute babies, cute (baby) animals, and less cute (adult) animals - while they were hooked up to EEG caps, which monitor brain activity. “We presume that these expressions may help regulate emotion,” the authors wrote.Ī new study published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience takes that behavioral research a step further to determine what exactly is happening in the brain when cute aggression occurs.
Yale researcher Oriana Aragón first identified the concept in a 2015 paper, positing that the contradictory reaction (or “dimorphous expression”) is our brain’s way of snapping us out of coo-mode so that we can take care of the tiny thing we’re fawning over.
But you don’t really want to hurt anything - you just can’t handle the cuteness! What you’re experiencing instead is a response called cute aggression. “You’re so cute I just want to bite your face off!” You’ve probably said a version of this to an adorable baby, puppy, or kitten more than once, as if chubby cheeks or wiggly butts were enough to turn you into a savage.
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