What we do in my family may seem like an absolutely terrible thing from the outside, but among our peers it’s really a very cute thing. I grab my kids by their faces and scream in confusion. fool! I’ll crush you until it pops, you stupid baby! ” Then I kiss them for a solid 30 seconds while they laugh happily. I’m not mean! They know this is my ultimate expression of love through “cute aggression”. That’s a thing! It’s a phenomenon that makes you want to bury your teeth into the deliciously thick thighs of a baby. And that’s something TikTok creator Sadie Golden (@sadiebreann_) knows all too well.
In a recent video, she appears to be holding an adorable (relatable!) pudgy little baby. We only see the little one’s back, but we want to hold him.
“Do you realize how much self-control it takes to not…” She walked away, feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. “If you have cute aggression…I’m grinding my teeth into his every move over and over again? I’d like that.” bite you. do not have actually He bites you and hurts you, but he bites you because you’re so cute, and he doesn’t know what to do with this obvious aggression. ”
OembedOembedEdit
- URLhttps://www.tiktok.com/@sadiebreann_/video/7468794083159330091?_r=1&_t=ZP-8tkbSXc49QE
- Caption of Caption
Why does cute aggression occur?
I’m sure humans have experienced cute aggression forever. Who among us doesn’t remember an elderly family member pinching our cheek? Look me in the eye and tell me that seeing two otters holding hands doesn’t make me go into a happy rage. But the term “cute aggression” itself has only been around for about the last decade.
Social psychologist Oriana Aragón described this well-documented phenomenon as “playful aggression” in her paper “Dimorphic Expressions of Positive Emotions: Displays of Both Care and Aggression in Response to Cute Stimuli.” It should be noted that words that basically mean the same thing can be found across cultures, especially in Southeast Asia and Oceania.
So why does it happen? Research shows that looking at something super cute activates both the emotional and reward systems in the brain. This combination can feel overwhelming to the brain. There are so many positive elements that a bit of negativity is generated in the form of aggression to balance it out. Babies are so cute that you want to take a break from all that adorable sensory input by biting them.
To be honest, most articles on the subject probably point out all sorts of chemical reactions and unique brain structures and evolutionary adaptations in the body that can cause cute aggression. But at the end of the day, it comes down to “human brains are weird and babies are cute,” so I’m okay with that.
But what to do when you feel an irresistible urge to eat your own child? Golden has discovered a great coping mechanism.
“It takes a huge amount of self-control not to let that seep into this little perfect baby. And I mean that in the best sense of the word, because I would never do that.” Until now Never hurt this human angel. But there are a lot of them… It shows up in my husband. I’m like, “I have to grab something!” So I’ll catch you! I grab this guy because he can have it. ”
To be honest, I’m sure most husbands would think it’s a win-win.
