Why do people squeeze cute things

We interpret this as a less robust difference between the two condition for babies compared to animals. As noted above, different sets of images were used for more and less cute animals e. Prior to running mediation models, we explored the direct relationship between ERP components of interest N, RewP and behavioral ratings of cute aggression. We found a significant correlation between RewP amplitude for cute animals and behavioral ratings of cute aggression toward cute animals.

This provides evidence in favor of a relationship between the neural reward system and cute aggression. Finally, a significant correlation was observed between N amplitude for cute animals and individual ratings of dimorphous expressions of positive emotions e.

However, as no relationship was observed between dimorphous expressions of emotion and cute aggression itself, the current study cannot directly speak to that question.

In our sample, individuals who had a stronger emotional reaction to cute animals via the N , were more likely to report expressing positive emotions with negative expressions e. Mediation models were utilized to shed light on relationships between multiple variables of interest.

In terms of behavior, we found that the relationship between cute aggression and appraisal e. Serial mediation was supported for cute animals, but not for cute babies.

For cute babies, the relationship between caretaking and cute aggression was significantly mediated by being overwhelmed. These findings are interesting and provide information about how emotional processes occur over time, and how cute aggression may serve to regulate overwhelming emotions. For example, in the case of cute animals, these findings suggest that cute aggression is not simply correlated with caretaking—but is mediated by how cute individuals find animals, and how overwhelmed they feel.

This makes sense if one conceptualizes cute aggression as a way to handle overwhelming feelings which occur in response to extremely cute things. To explore the relationship between behavioral measures and brain activity, mediation models were run with N and RewP amplitude. For cute animals, the relationship between N amplitude and cute aggression was mediated by feeling overwhelmed.

This finding is interesting as it sheds light on how brain activity relates to feelings of cute aggression. As the N is hypothesized to be a neural correlate of emotional salience, this suggests that people who find cute animals especially salient and are overwhelmed by those feelings experience cute aggression. For cute animals, the relationship between RewP amplitude and cute aggression was serially mediated by appraisal and feeling overwhelmed.

These findings mirror our behavioral findings in which feelings of caretaking and cute aggression were mediated by appraisal and feeling overwhelmed. Taken together, these findings suggest that RewP amplitude and feelings of caretaking are similar in their relationship to cute aggression, feeling overwhelmed, and appraisal.

Finally, we found that RewP amplitude and cute aggression was serially mediated by feelings of caretaking and feeling overwhelmed. These serial mediation models underscore the complexity of cute aggression, and how it relates to a variety of both neural and behavioral measures e.

No mediation models were significant for RewP and cute babies. It is important to discuss limitations of the current study. The most important limitation to consider is the differences in our methods compared to previous research e. The primary goal of the current study was to explore neural correlates of cute aggression, and therefore we decided to directly compare neural responses within each participant.

A second limitation relates to the stimuli utilized in the current study. In order to be consistent with previous literature on cute aggression e. It is important to note, however, that the animal images were not as controlled as the baby images. The images of animals, however, were found online and depicted adult animals less cute and baby animals more cute. Thus, images of animals were different on multiple dimensions e.

This is an important consideration, particularly as our findings were most robust for animals, and no differences in brain activity or behavior were observed for images of babies.

In addition, analyses on each type of animal e. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that the findings in the current study are, in part, explained by stimulus differences between the animal and baby conditions. Future research should employ similar methods of image manipulation in both the baby and animal conditions as done by Borgi et al. In the current study, we utilized images of a variety of animal species, including some that are often pets e.

Future research related to cute aggression should consider having participants rate different species separately as well as collecting data on whether participants own pets. Another limitation relates to our study population, and therefore the generalizability of our findings. The current study participants were college students at a large university, rather than a random sample of the general population. It is important to note that college-aged students may have different emotional reactions than individuals in the general population.

One example, though anecdotal, underscores these differences. She explained that images of cute babies elicited a variety of thoughts related to the future e.

She mused aloud that individuals who have children might be more likely to experience cute aggression in response to cute babies compared to those who do not have children. In addition, when mothers were given intranasal oxytocin, a hormone involved with social and parental bonding, more robust brain activity was observed for facial expressions Peltola et al.

We found this idea fascinating and wanted to explore whether participants with children had significant differences in either behavioral or brain measures. Unfortunately, none of our participants had children, so we were unable to perform statistical analyses related to this question. We suggest that future researchers may want to systematically investigate this question. Another limitation, although not directly related to the current research question, is of note.

One participant mentioned that all the babies in our stimulus set were Caucasian. The participant noted that future studies might want to measure cute aggression as it relates to same versus different racial backgrounds e. This in an interesting question that should be explored in future research. Overall, our findings suggest that cute aggression is related to neural mechanisms of both emotional salience and reward processing. The current study is the first to our knowledge that explores mechanisms of cute aggression and provides insight into how cute aggression affects brain activity and behavior.

Cute aggression appears to be a complex and multi-faceted emotional response that likely serves to mediate strong emotional responses and allow caretaking to occur. It would be of clinical interest and utility to explore whether individuals with disorders related to reward and emotions e. KS designed the experiments and analyzed the data. LA and KS ran subjects, conceptualized and wrote the paper. The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

The reviewer MB and handling Editor declared their shared affiliation at the time of the review. ACR North Am. Google Scholar. So happy i could shout and so happy i could cry dimorphous expressions represent and communicate motivational aspects of positive emotions.

Dimorphous expressions of positive emotion: displays of both care and aggression in response to cute stimuli. Archer, J. Preferences for infant facial features in pet dogs and cats. Ethology , — Baker, T. Dissociated roles of the anterior cingulate cortex in reward and conflict processing as revealed by the feedback error-related negativity and N Balconi, M. In the face of emotions: event-related potentials in supraliminal and subliminal facial expression recognition.

Face-selective processing and the effect of pleasant and unpleasant emotional expressions on ERP correlates. Arousal effect on emotional face comprehension: frequency band changes in different time intervals.

Borgi, M. Baby schema in human and animal faces induces cuteness perception and gaze allocation in children. Bress, J. Self-report and behavioral measures of reward sensitivity predict the feedback negativity. Psychophysiology 50, — Neural response to reward and depressive symptoms in late childhood to early adolescence. Brunia, C. Steven and S. Emily Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Carlson, J. Neuroimage 57, — Chwilla, D. Event-related potential correlates of non-motor anticipation. Damen, E. Changes in heart-rate and slow brain potentials related to motor preparation and stimulus anticipation in a time-estimation task. This leaves you in a more effective place to take care of a small animal or child. After all, you can never be too careful. Skip to content upload. Evan Fleischer. Share The scientific reason you want to squeeze cute things on Twitter. Of the total, 20 were male and 34 were female.

The team hooked up the volunteers to special equipment that measured electrical signals in their brain neurons. While they were connected to the electrode caps, the participants viewed photos of cute babies and photos of babies doctored to appear cuter. They were also shown images of cute baby animals, and their less cute adult equivalents. The participants also filled in questionnaires detailing their responses to the photographs, including how overwhelmed they felt by cuteness, and whether they wanted to care for the subjects of the images.

She explains that, despite how puzzling dimorphous expressions might seem, humans are extremely efficient at figuring out the true intention behind them. Grabbing our belly and making expressions of pain when eating might, for example, help indicate our intention to keep eating. Similarly, crying when feeling overwhelmed with happiness could signal to others that we need a moment to recover from intense emotions.

Whatever the reason, the next time you want to squeeze that smiley baby hippo you see on Instagram or eat that floppy-eared pupper you meet in the park, you'll know it's your brain acknowledging that it's just too cute. BY Jimena Ledgard. Subscribe to our Newsletter!