When We See Something Cute, Why Do We Want to Squeeze It?The aggressive urge some people get when they see an adorable animal or baby may be connected to our emotional health. By Liz Langley, National Geographic
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 10, 2015
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/10/151010-science-psychology-babies-animals-culture-behavior/
At the home of cat breeder Lynn Figueroa of Junglespots, bobcat kittens get acclimated to humans and other animals before their sale. This one is six weeks old. PHOTOGRAPH BY VINCENT J. MUSI, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE The first step is admitting you have a problem. A very cute problem.
“Why, when something is adorable, do we get the urge to squeeze it and squish it?” National Geographic's own Emily Tye asked
Saturday’s Weird Animal Question of the Week. “Seems dangerous, evolutionarily speaking!”
Rest assured, Emily:
you’re not alone.
In a 2015 study in
Psychological Science, Yale University psychologist
Oriana Aragon and team found that people who have extremely positive reactions to images of cute babies also “displayed stronger aggressive expressions,” such as wanting to pinch the babies' cheeks.
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Excerpt. Read more (including the answer) at
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/10/151010-science-psychology-babies-animals-culture-behavior/ .