Watching a kitten fumbling around, you might feel as if you’ve encountered the most adorable thing in your life. You may want to pet its soft fur and kiss its tiny head. However, you may also feel the conflicting urge to squeeze or smush the kitten, maybe even stuff it in your mouth. This urge, which psychologists call “cute aggression,” is surprisingly common, and estimated to affect about half of all adults.
In 1943, a scientist created a baby schema that identified key features associated with cuteness, like plump cheeks, large eyes, and short limbs. These characteristics, associated with many young animals, were placed in opposition with those perceived as less cute. Decades of study have since indicated that this baby schema reliably tracks with how people perceive cuteness. When study participants see images containing more features that the baby schema pinpoints as cute, they tend to look at them longer and more often. The photos appear to stimulate brain regions associated with emotion and reward.
Cuteness is also thought to influence behavior. In a 2009 study, participants performed better at the game Operation—which demands precise, careful movements—when shown cute images beforehand. The results of another study indicated that people use recycling bins more when they have cute images on them. The fact that cuteness hijacks our emotions is certainly not lost on authorities and advertisers.
It’s nearly impossible to know for sure, but one theory is that cute things simply make us want to nurture them. Because human babies are relatively helpless on their own, it’s hypothesized that evolution favored infants who were perceived as cute and inspired more care and interaction. Being acutely sensitive to cuteness, we’re tuned into similar features in other species.
As we domesticated animals, their appearances tended to change too. Some scientists have noted a phenomenon called “domestication syndrome,” where certain animals appear to have gradually adopted more juvenile features as they became more docile. One theory is that these physical changes are regulated by an embryonic structure called the neural crest. It helps determine how some of a developing embryo’s cells differentiate and where they go.
If cuteness is related to nurturing and decreased aggression, why would anyone ever want to squeeze or bite cute things? Well, cute aggression is importantly not linked to the actual intention to do harm. Instead, it seems to result from emotional overload. Some scientists think that cute things elicit such positive emotions from certain people that the experience becomes overwhelming. They hypothesize that slightly aggressive, discordant thoughts are the brain’s way of putting the brakes on and regulating those intense feelings—not getting you to actually eat a kitten.
Cuteness can come off as a frivolous, innocent quality, but it wields immense, consequential power. Not to be aggressive, but cuteness kind of runs the world.
Design a survey to investigate how common cute aggression is among your peers. Include questions about their reactions to cute animals and objects. Analyze the data collected and present your findings in a report. This will help you understand the prevalence and variations of cute aggression in different age groups.
Draw or create digital art that emphasizes the features identified in the baby schema, such as large eyes, plump cheeks, and short limbs. Share your artwork with classmates and discuss how these features influence perceptions of cuteness. This activity will help you visually understand the elements that contribute to cuteness.
Conduct an experiment similar to the 2009 study mentioned in the article. Have participants perform a task requiring precision, like a simple puzzle, before and after viewing cute images. Record their performance and analyze whether the cute images had any effect. This will give you hands-on experience with how cuteness can influence behavior.
Research the concept of domestication syndrome and its connection to cuteness. Prepare a presentation to explain how domestication has influenced the physical traits of animals and how these traits relate to cuteness. This will deepen your understanding of the evolutionary aspects of cuteness.
Organize a debate on the statement “Cuteness runs the world.” Divide into teams and argue for or against the influence of cuteness in various aspects of life, such as marketing, social behavior, and animal domestication. This will help you critically evaluate the broader implications of cuteness in society.
Aggression – Hostile or violent behavior towards others. – The dog showed aggression towards the stranger by growling and baring its teeth.
Cute aggression – An overwhelming urge to squeeze or pinch something cute, often accompanied by feelings of aggression. – She experienced cute aggression when she saw the adorable kitten and couldn’t resist giving it a gentle squeeze.
Cuteness – The quality of being attractive, charming, or endearing, often associated with small and innocent features. – The puppy’s cuteness melted everyone’s hearts, and they couldn’t help but shower it with love and attention.
Baby schema – A set of physical features, such as large eyes, round face, and chubby cheeks, that elicits an innate caregiving response in humans. – The baby’s irresistible baby schema made everyone around want to cuddle and protect it.
Behavior – The way in which a person, animal, or organism acts or conducts itself. – The child’s disruptive behavior in class led to a meeting with the teacher and parents to address the issue.
Influence – The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something. – The peer pressure had a significant influence on the teenager’s decision to try smoking.
Domestication – The process of taming and adapting wild animals or plants for human use or companionship. – The domestication of wolves thousands of years ago led to the development of modern-day dogs.
Nurturing – Caring for and encouraging the growth or development of someone or something. – The mother’s nurturing nature was evident in the way she lovingly tended to her child’s needs.
Domestication syndrome – A group of physical and behavioral traits that tend to appear together in domesticated animals, resulting from selective breeding for tameness and reduced aggression. – The domestication syndrome in dogs includes traits such as floppy ears, curly tails, and a friendly disposition.
Power of cuteness – The ability of something cute to evoke strong positive emotions and influence human behavior. – The power of cuteness was evident as people couldn’t resist adopting the adorable kittens from the animal shelter.
