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NEW ORLEANS — Ever reacted to the sight of a cute puppy or darling infant by squealing, "I want to eat you up!"? Or maybe you can't help but want to pinch your grandbaby's adorable cheeks. You're not alone. New research finds that seemingly strange aggressive responses to cuteness are actually the norm.
In fact, people not only verbalize these aggressive desires with phrases like, "I just want to squeeze something!" they also really do act them out. In the study, presented Friday (Jan. 18) here at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, researchers found that people watching a slideshow of adorable pictures popped more bubbles on a sheet of bubble wrap than did people viewing funny or neutral pictures.
"We think it's about high positive-affect, an approach orientation and almost a sense of lost control," said study researcher Rebecca Dyer, a graduate student in psychology at Yale University. "You know, you can't stand it, you can't handle it, that kind of thing."
Dyer got interested in what she and her colleagues call "cute aggression" after chatting with a fellow student about how adorable Internet pictures often produce the desire to squish or squeeze the cute critter. All the existing research on cuteness suggests the reaction should be the opposite, she told LiveScience. People should want to treat a cute thing with gentleness and care. [ Gallery: World's Cutest Baby Wild Animals ]
And indeed, Dyer said, it's not as though people really want to hurt a basketful of kittens when they see the furballs tumbling all over one another.
"We don't have a bunch of budding sociopaths in our studies that you have to worry about," she said.
But something odd seemed to be going on. So the researchers first ran an experiment to see if cuteness aggression was a real phenomenon. They recruited 109 participants online to look at pictures of cute, funny or neutral animals. A cute animal might be a fluffy puppy, while a funny animal could be a dog with its head out a car window, jowls flapping. A neutral animal might be an older dog with a serious expression.
The participants rated the pictures on cuteness and funniness, as well as on how much they felt the pictures made them lose control — for example, if they agreed with statements such as "I can't handle it!" The participants also rated the extent to which the pictures made them "want to say something like 'grr!'" and "want to squeeze something."
Sure enough, the cuter the animal, the less control and more desire to "grrr" and squeeze something that people felt. Cute animals produced this feeling significantly more strongly than did funny animals. The funny critters in turn produced the feeling more strongly than did neutral animals, perhaps because the funny animals were perceived as cute, too, Dyer said.
Still, those results could have merely identified a verbal expression for cuteness, rather than a real feeling. So Dyer and her colleagues asked 90 male and female volunteers to come into a psychology laboratory and view a slideshow of cute, funny and neutral animals.
Researchers told the participants that this was a study of motor activity and memory, and then gave the subjects sheets of bubble wrap. The participants were instructed to pop as many or as few bubbles as they wanted, just as long as they were doing something involving motion.
In fact, the researchers really wanted to know if people would respond to cute animals with an outward display of aggression, popping more bubbles, compared with people looking at neutral or funny animals.
That's exactly what happened. The people watching a cute slideshow popped 120 bubbles, on average, compared with 80 for the funny slideshow and just a hair over 100 for the neutral one.
Dyer said she and her colleagues aren't yet sure why cuteness seems to trigger expressions of aggression, even relatively harmless ones. It's possible that seeing a wide-eyed baby or roly-poly pup triggers our drive to care for that creature, Dyer said. But since the animal is just a picture, and since even in real life we might not be able to care for the creature as much as we want, this urge may be frustrated, she said. That frustration could lead to aggression. [ 10 Things You Didn't Know About the Brain ]
Alternatively, people could be trying so hard not to hurt the animal that they actually do so, much as a child wanting to care for a cat might squeeze it too tightly (and get scratched for the effort).
Or the reason might not be specific to cuteness, Dyer said. Many overwhelmingly positive emotions look negative, as when Miss America sobs while receiving her crown. Such high levels of positive emotion may overwhelm people.
"It might be that how we deal with high positive-emotion is to sort of give it a negative pitch somehow, Dyer said. "That sort of regulates, keeps us level and releases that energy."
More from LiveScience:
- Baby Panda Pics: See a Cute Cub Growing Up
- Fight, Fight, Fight: The History of Human Aggression
- 7 Things That Will Make You Happy
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Leave a Comment:
God is an awesome God!
Amen joe. Babies are so cute they hurt. And now we kinda know why!
I saw this headline and was like WTF??? C'mon MSNBC, it's on 22 days into the new year and this is already...THE STUPIDEST HEADLINE OF THE YEAR!!!!!!!
Yes, praise Allah! riririririririririririririririririri!
MSNBC at its stupidest.
If those people in the experiment were given drums, they would've beaten more drums with cute pictures than neutral ones. That wouldn't have meant people like to play music when they see cute.
Jeez! Stupidity has no bounds.
Why are you guys reacting so negatively to this article? I for one think it's amazing that cute animals trigger aggressive responses. It explains why cute animals have always made me a little angry--not at them, the little mites--but at something inexplicable. I think I hate the human facile behaviour that coddles babies and animals, thereby ignoring their dignity and using them for some sick cootchy-cootchy gratification.
Joe, why are you making comments here? Shouldn't you be knocking on doors and handing out pamphlets? Don't slack off now.
I think his response is appropriately random.
This study is stupid beyond words.
I don't claim to speak for Buddhism, but I think they're onto something when they believe that what drives us to want becomes a distraction. Eliminate or make peace with your base human desires and you've resolved of half of your frustrations that becomes the basis for other problems you create for yourself in your life.
In a similar vein, in a psychology course I took some years ago, I learned that things we cannot have but want, we will often rationalize why we don't need it. "It's a great new car, I love it, but it's beyond my budget ...so it must demand too much maintenance anyway, to be worth my while." Thus, when they get older they make sacrifices in their lives to strive to possess this material thing. ...And if and when they get one, they either run it into the ground after its lost its luster or appeal, or give it more importance than the quality of the relationships they have with significant others they deem less worthy of the representative status that comes from owning or controlling it.
And some people end up owning dogs and cats that become their surrogate children. They figure, why bother with the problems of raising human children when you can have cute (sometimes, disposable) pets, that incur much less expensive maintenance and give back such unconditional love to their owners.
awwwww how cute. A supernatural being watching over you making you feel all warm and fuzzy. How simple of you. Makes me want to squeeze you. Grrrrr....
what an awful headline "just want to eat" puppies....some people like our pres re elect take those words literally
Just watched clips on utube showing chinks severly abusing cats and dogs like you wouldnt even do to a chicken and then slaughtering them in the most grusome ways, so how does that figure into this little study they did????
Neighbors down the block got a puppy for Christmas. How do I know? It hasn't shut up since Christmas. Not....Since.....Christmas. Somehow I don't feel like hugging or "eating" it, or any of the other four yapping dogs that border my property. But I just got myself this adorable 200 pound brass fog horn the other day. The cutest fog horn ever....
I only see this proving - or at least indicating - that people are more distracted by funny images, which kind of makes sense when humor tends to tell some kind of story that engages us. Why else would both the cute and the neutral pictures result in more popping? Maybe overall they just weren't as interesting as the funny ones.
Puppy farts. They have it all.
This is a classic example of good research with misinterpreted results. I see the soundness of the "scientific" method but I think there "conclusion" is inaccurate and is all over the map... This is just one more unique aspect of human behavior not a "keep us in balance" reaction or better said a response that is common in a "balanced" psyche.
OH and one vote for Cheez-its for a "yummy" cute baby... (heh)
my little puppy is so small that I am truly amazed this creature can function so well. When I want to snuggle her up because she is so cute and tiny, I actually wonder why I get this strange feeling of squishing her ....almost scares me but I trust myself, I love her...but I still want to hug all the love outta her. She is just so damn cute...like when her hair is all messy (i call her fraglerocks, Kola (she) is Chinese crested/Chiwawa) and I comb it then she runs to her bed and put the top of her head on the bed and messes it all back up....squishy squishy...
but do you think that bad people cant stop, and actually hurt them?...and thats why most bad people start with animals...they "squished" them to death? I would think that is the very "filter" that is broken in a bad person.....
dang this article is weird...
My sister has around 8 or 9 dogs at her home. Nearly all of them are from her kids and grand kids. The grand kids are in their mid 20's now. She has them because like the saying goes, "Everyone loves a puppy, but a dog - ugh!" The grand kids and their kids all have a batch of new puppies when I visited for Christmas - new future dogs for my sister!
@roadlesstraveled - I was kind of wondering the same thing about the "filter" as you put it on psychopaths. Although many serial killers and the like are abused as children many are not (and most abused children do not turn into psychopaths). But almost all psychopaths tortured animals as children. And many serial killers do things like bite their victims. Most also base their selection of victims on some type of attraction. So maybe it is a short circuit in their wiring when it comes to appropriate levels of affection/aggression. Although some posters seem to think this is a pointless study I think they are on to something here. Maybe pinpointing what some people consider "appropriate aggression" to something cute may help distinguish someone's future probability of becoming a sociopath.
Don't forget,in some countries they DO eat them.
I think the researchers reached the wrong conclusion. I htink the "so cute you could eat them" feeling comes from an instinctual parenting behavior. You want to care for them, nurture them, love them and have them love you back. This natural high feeling you get from love you get from parenting and pets feels good, is best mimiced by eating something good, chocolate stimulates this response in those of us that like chocolate.
The problem is theres more jealousy and narcassism out there then is realized! The scary thing is theres allot of people out there who actually act on it!!!
I say You are so cute, I could eat you up to my 4 month old squishy baby all the time. He is so cute with his drooly smiles!
little suggar boogers
he is 17...and I still text that to him randomly...he knows its for me mostly :)
My Vietnamese brother in law means it when he says it
Yeah, that's the first thought I had. An explanation of why some eat dog....
Puppies taste like "chicken"!!!!
True story. I was at a garage sale a number of years ago. There was a small dog hopping around and obviously did not belong to them. Then a little SE Asian or oriental looking lady walks up and sheepishly plays with it a little. Again, obviously not the owner.
I jetted off to the next sale. On my way back home I reversed my path and saw this same lady walking down the street with this puppy in her arms.............
Hey, it is just a story, YOU write the ending.
Popping bubbles on sheets of bubble wrap? Seriously?
And how on earth does popping bubble wrap indicate aggression? Has there been a study done to prove that when people are aggressive they pop more bubble wrap? Who paid for this bs "study"?
Actually, in order to use a certain measure in a study, it needs to be pilot tested first to make sure it actually measures what you think it will. Assuming she did everything correctly, she pilot tested the bubble wrap practice before implementing it in her study to make sure it actually did test aggression. Assuming she did that, popping bubble wrap actually can measure aggression.
Dat is such a widdle sweet cuttie wootie pubby...yum yum yum ...i will eat yor widdle bubby wubby fubby dubby face!
My wife really talks like that to our cat key2joy . lol
Keyjoy your response cracks me up. True story: My girlfriend discovered bite marks on her babies behind after grandma and grandpa had been babysitting. She found out that grandpa thought the baby was so cute he tried to take a bite out of it's ass! Needless to say, grandpa was never permitted in proximity of diaper changing again and forbidden to take a bite out of the babies facial chubby cheaks as well.
I read this and went WTF?
Really?
I see a cute puppy and I feel good -- without any desire to harm it in any way.
Nobody said anything about harming the puppy. This is when there's no puppy to harm or cuddle, just an image that inspires the urge to cuddle.
I agree, abby. Never have I uttered the words to a young baby/animal "I want to hurt, squish, squash, eat you". I've always found that reaction profoundly disturbing.
Really - so you've never looked at a baby and said "I want to pinch those little cheeks"? It doesn't mean you're going to abuse the kid. Good thing you guys completely missed the point of this article. Wow.
deep inside you know you want to eat that puppy.. j/k
I also agree Abby. I hate seeing adults pinching children's cheeks.
I completely understand the urge. Sometimes when I'm holding a baby or a cute small animal, I have to squeeze somthing else, often my leg, just to get the urge to squeeze hard out of my system.
I also agree that it is totally weird!
Even now, my 6 yr old had to set a rule with me that I can't hug so hard.
I'm not a weirdo at all, good mom, good aunt, good pet owner, very affectionate.
Go figure.
I'm inclined toward the "it's so cute I feel the need to do something but can't" theory. Super-cute puppy or kitten or the like, the natural response is an overwhelming urge to touch it, pet it, cuddle it, kiss it, or similar behavior (plus combinations of those things), and the inability to act on that urge leads you to feel a need to act on the physical urge in some other way. Having the actual puppy there, people would be drawn to pick it up, talk baby talk at it, and carefully shower it with affectionate attention.
Not necessarily so! In Uni, I lived in a huge house with 12 other girls. We were allowed to have pets so many of us had cats and dogs. One of our roommates, forever after known as "Scary Crystal" would "Ooo" and "Ahhhh" over each new kitten or puppy and then would say, "You're so cute I could just throw you against the wall and smash you!" Seriously!, I kid you not! No, she wasn't a Goth or Heavy Metal or Dope Chick, this is just what she said when she was handling our new pets. Needless to say, we kept a close eye on Crystal and NEVER left our pets alone with her. Twenty years after Uni, I still recall that freaky chick. :(
Cahow - you're an idiot. Take things more literally.
It's so fluffy I could die! SO FLUFFY!
I do NOT think it is an aggressive urge. Instead, I think it is an urge to kiss and nibble; maybe lick. Since these actions are remotely related to eating, I think people get confused about their reaction. They cannot accurately describe what they are feeling. If they were given a REAL puppy, they would probably kiss it.
I think it's a displaced protective instinct. The picture of the adorable (and vulnerable) animal excites our desire to protect, but with no aggressor in sight, there's just a generalized feeling of aggressiveness. It seems very similar to when we look upon a vulnerable loved one and realize that we would willingly die or commit violence to protect them.
is is a stupid study or what..did taxpayers actually pay for this..unbelievable..i love cute puppies..but this is stupid
It's not about "cute puppies" - it's about the roots of aggression and what makes us act the way we act. The results of this study could contribute to future research around what triggers child abuse and similar pressing social issues.
Further, given that this was a graduate student's project at Yale, I'm doubting that there was any significant government funding for this.
Do try to use your capacity for critical thought before you label something "stupid."
grass roots of aggression is closer to a defense mechanism
My thoughts exactly, Dee, just how much money was granted for this "research". Appears to be just another waste of taxpayer's money.
Wow...what makes you think taxpayers have anything to do with this? I'm in an experimental psychology program right now and I can tell you that most studies done at this level are done without any payment at all. You can get grants for some research, but not every research project is funded. You should really learn about things you're talking about so you don't sound so ignorant.
You ever see how a Mommy Doggie carries around her puppy doggie?
Bites it on the back of the neck and carries it around like a piece of luggage.
That's where this comes from!
Eat the puppy huh? I read a story about dognappers in Vietnam. It turns out that dog is considered a delicacy in certain parts their culture. The going price for dog at the time was $6 a kilo. Restaurants were paying this price and because of what people get for a wage there is very low, dognapping has become a good paying job. Except the story I read was that one of the dog nappers was knocked off of his motorcycle and set afire by an angry pet owner. He died, the wages of sin.
Philippines too, cats also.
They call the dog dish, aso adobo.
Don't take your pets there, they could end up in someones pot real easy.
I think this is just what happens when people are not taught the language skills to express their feelings correctly or the self control to govern what their bodies are doing during an emotional event. They say idiotic things like, "you're so cute, I could just eat you up." Or they tense up and pop bubbles on bubble wrap. One is a lack of education leaving them with limited language and so they fall back onto meaningless cliches, the other shows that they can't sit and observe something without reacting, also a learned skill.
Or perhaps it has something more to do with coveting what is not yours. When I see a picture of an adorable baby animal, (no I don't find human babies adorable, some make it to interesting, but not many) I acknowledge that is is a wonderful example of its type, smile and then store the memory away to be brought back every now and then. I do not feel any need to touch it, or hug it. Of course this may be because most of the animals I find adorable are also dangerous even as babies. Or maybe it's because I have a very strong sense of my own personal space and therefore have an aversion to invading anything/anyone else's space.
I hab a massers degwee you widdle puddy fuddy duddy...chew on that!
I don't think it has anything to do with the individual's capacity to communicate... I'm a communicator by trade, and I have these feelings when I'm around baby humans/animals. Since I've become a mother, these feelings toward helpless, cute infants of all species has intensified. Here's my conclusion: it's something very primal and it has nothing to do with actually "eating" the baby. You're feeling the urge to nuzzle/nurture/nibble on a very base level. Watch a dog with her puppies or a chimpanzee with her baby. We're mammals and we comfort/show affection for our infants by nuzzling them. It probably goes back to a time when we didn't have opposable thumbs and we carried our babies by picking them up by the back of the neck. Functional hands are a more recent adaptation. Becomming a mother chemically changes your brain enhancing your baseline nurturing instinct. Your baseline nurturing instinct might simply not be as pronounced. (I'm an educated woman, but I would seriously have 5 kids if I didn't care about the financial ramification or I didn't have to work full time to provide for them. That's just who I am.) Long story short, we're victims of our biology. It just makes things more interesting.
It's all about tactile interaction. Seeing cuteness makes you want to interact with things, to touch them, feel them, play with them. Pinching and squeezing are some of the more intense ways to get that interaction, so of course people will want to do that. And yes, it does extend to the bubble wrap as well: you get the pleasure release from popping the bubbles because of the tactile sensations, not because you're thinking about hurting anything.
Carp!
Now I need to plan in time to build a bunker at the ranch. Zombie really do exist!
What do zombies have to do with carp?
Sick bastards
People actually get paid to do these "studies"? Who pays them?
People don't always get paid. Some people enjoy participating in studies or other times students get credit for participating in a study so that's how researchers at colleges can sometimes get participants. Not to say participants never get paid. But it's not a guaranteed thing.
There is a flaw here. The researchers have assumed a correlation between popping bubbles and aggression. Validating this experiment would require a second experiment in order to demonstrate such a correlation.
I thought this study was really about eating cute dogs. There is nothing about eating anything in this stupid article!
so... this explains my sometimes uncontrollable urge to eat a stuffed panda.
Totally makes sense. I have a real cute fluffy cuddly pussycat and whenever I see her I just want to squeeze her and put her back down, which I sometimes do. ha ha!
I read the entire story, and never saw where the puppy was edible lol Most of the article was a bunch of BS in my book. Wasn't worth the time to read
Yet you did, and then commented on it. I guess it worked.
I have heard people comment that seeing cute things like baby animals does make them want to put them in their mouth. Maybe it is the root of the animal abuse videos where women in high heels crush kittens and small animals for erotic gratification--the so-called "crush videos" that were in the news a few years ago. I'm inclined to believe there is some instinctual impulse at work here and some people feel it and others do not.
I don't think those women actually get anything out of crushing the animals. People will do anything for money. (Please don't tell me you really think that the average adult entertainer is doing it for the amazing sex. I know that's part of the fantasy, but it doesn't really stand up to frontal lobe scrutiny.)
The viewer, on the other hand, is probably getting off to something about female sadism, turning the idea of a "nurturing woman" on it's head, etc. We have certain impressions of "femaleness" that we bring with us from childhood. Someone who likes these videos might have experienced emotional/physical brutality at the hands of a female caregiver, leading to some **ahem** crossed wires.
Perhaps people who go on killing sprees see everyone as unbearably cute.
Yes, sort of like what happens when a lioness spots a baby wildebeast, just so cute she wants to gobble it up!