Cute aggression

Cute aggression, or playful aggression, is the urge to squeeze or bite things perceived as being cute without the desire to cause any harm. It is a common type of dimorphous display, where a person experiences positive and negative expressions simultaneously in a disorganised manner. Individuals experiencing cute aggression may find themselves clenching their jaw or fists, with the urge to squish, pinch or bite an adorable baby, animal, or object.

Terminology

Social psychologist Oriana Aragón and colleagues defined the phenomenon of cute aggression in their published research paper in 2015. They also referred to these experiences with the alternative term "playful aggression", defining it as follows:

Stimuli like this image can elicit superficially aggressive tendencies mediated by hormonal control.

"Playful aggression is in reference to the expressions that people show sometimes when interacting with babies. Sometimes we say things and appear to be more angry than happy, even though we are happy. For example some people grit their teeth, clench their hands, pinch cheeks, or say things like "I want to eat you up!" It would be difficult to ask about every possible behaviour of playful aggression, so we ask generally about things of this kind—calling them playful aggressions."

In other languages

The concept of cute aggression is reflected in various terms across many languages.

The word gigil in Tagalog describes an overwhelming feeling of joy in reference to something cute and wanting to squeeze it. The Indonesian word gemas describes the feeling of wanting to choke something cute you see. Gigil and gemas have alternative meanings of expressing severe frustration and anger towards something. The word geram in Malay is also polysemous, with meanings associated with expressing a love-hate anger toward something cute, evoking urges to squeeze it affectionately, and describes a feeling of dissatisfaction too. Man Khiaao or มัน-เขี้ยว in Thai, is an expression which means that an individual wants to 'eat them up' as they are 'so cute' often in relation to people or animals. The verb man directly translates 'to enjoy', and khiaao translates to fang or canine. The concept of cute aggression also exists for the natives of the Mariana Islands named Chamorros. Their vernacular language Chamorro contains the term ma'goddai. This describes the strong feelings one gets when admiring someone's poki (pleasantly chubby) appearance causing an urge to pinch, squeeze or smother the person in kisses. The presence of cute aggression is evident in the array of languages worldwide that incorporate expressions related to this phenomenon.

Neurological response

Brain structure

MRI scan of the orbitofrontal cortex located in the brain

Upon encountering something cute, the activity of the orbitofrontal cortex increases, (the area associated with emotion and pleasure) located at the front of the brain. Neuroimaging research found that the orbitofrontal cortex in adults became active in one seventh of a second after seeing a baby face. This enables us to understand how babies attract our attention to elicit care and protection from the moment they are born. Research using EEG scans discovered that both the emotion centre and reward centre lit up in the brain when participants viewed images of baby animals.

Hormones

The pituitary neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin which have been shown to affect social processes in mammals.

The interaction between the neurohormones oxytocin and vasopressin offer proximate explanations for why cute stimuli can elicit contradictory responses of affection and aggression. They are distinct molecules and are evolved components of an adaptive system humans have for long term attachment.

Explanation 1

The hormone oxytocin or the cuddle/love hormone is produced in the hypothalamus in the brain and released into the bloodstream by the pituitary gland during childbirth, sex, breastfeeding and exercise. Oxytocin pathways are activated upon seeing something cute and neuropeptide surges contribute to feelings of affection. Vasopressin is produced in the hypothalamus and released from the posterior pituitary in the brain. When released it compels the individual to protect and defend what is considered vulnerable. For example, many female mammals such as grizzly bears, will display aggressive behaviour to protect their young.

Interaction

Oxytocin is present in both sexes and more dominant in females. Males are more sensitive to the effects of vasopressin due to their actions being associated with the hormones testosterone and oestrogen. Oxytocin elicits social bonding, and vasopressin produces feelings of wanting to protect. When presented with something extremely cute, both oxytocin and vasopressin along with many other hormones are released, which encourage us to care for and nurture it, whilst being prepared to fight for it at the same time which may explain the dimorphous display of contradictory emotions.

Explanation 2

Cute aggression is experienced because portions of the brain corresponding to emotions and rewards are triggered, which can essentially overload an individual’s mental faculties. To compensate, the body develops an aggressive response, which can drag down some of the overwhelmingly positive responses. This response triggers an impulse to squeeze the cute person or thing in question, or some other similarly aggressive behavior, such as biting.

Evolutionary explanation

Evolution serves as the ultimate explanation for understanding cute aggression, as it suggests that this seemingly paradoxical response may have provided adaptive advantages in human ancestors, aiding in the care and protection of vulnerable offspring.

As a species, humans rely heavily upon parental care in order for their offspring to survive. Humans have low reproductive rates relative to other species, amplifying the importance of parental care for the survival of their few offspring. These feelings tend to be on a continuous scale rather than a particular threshold value. The gradient is most intense with objects that we perceive to be more cute in comparison to objects that are not as cute, but they still generate a response.

Infantile traits like big eyes, round faces, and small size evoke perceptions of cuteness, and trigger innate caregiving instincts in humans. Psychoanalyst John Bowlby (1907–1990) in his Evolutionary Theory of Attachment suggests that babies are pre-programmed to elicit attachments from caregivers to increase their chances of survival. He explained how babies use social releasers including smiling, crying and making eye-contact to attract the attention of caregivers.

Biological response of oxytocin attaches the adults to infants and vasopressin is somehow associated with aggressive feelings. Cute aggression, such as biting, squeezing, and tickling, is related to the intersection of emotional responses and reward centers. Some have postulated that this impulse serves an evolutionary purpose; if a human were to continually stare at their children, in awe over how adorable they are while being negligent to the environment and immediate surroundings, the children could be attacked by a wild animal in the vicinity when the parent is not aware and suffer harm.

These cute behaviours highlight the child's vulnerability which adults are receptive to. The same adoration that humans are compelled to feel for their young may carry over to other animals with similar physiological traits which require care such as puppies and kittens.

Research support

Psychological reactions

A study conducted in 2015 by Aragon and colleagues sought to explain whether cute aggression as a dimorphous expression serves as a regulatory mechanism during overwhelming emotional experiences. They outline how dimorphous expressions of emotion feature the distinct pattern of one stimulus event, one appraisal, one emotional experience but two expressive behaviours. Their 143 participant survey results found more infantile babies received higher positive appraisals (M=66.88) than less-infantile babies (M=56.68). Participants reported feeling more overwhelmed with positive feelings towards the more-infantile babies (M=42.74) while expressing more aggressive urges towards them compared to less infantile babies (M=33.35).

Physiological reactions

A more recent study conducted by Stravropoulos and colleagues in 2018, used electroencephalography (EEG) scans to investigate brain activity during cute aggression experiences. Fifty-four participants rated their reactions to baby animal images comparing these to adult animals. Higher ratings were given after viewing baby animals and the EEG analysis found in the N200 component, emotional responses peaked around 200ms after stimulus onset. Participants who reported higher levels of cute aggression showed a stronger reward processing response in the mesolimbic system. The involvement of emotional and reward processing in the brain enables insight to the underlying mechanisms of cute aggression.