Ever Wondered Why You Go Gooey Over Cute Animals? Here’s Why!

Ever wondered why we're so attracted to cute, fluffy, furry, button-nosed creatures that we just want to scoop up and hold close and never let go of? It's because of something called cute aggression.

The term "cute aggression" -- coined in 2013 -- refers to an almost overwhelming desire to do violence to the very object you adore. You may not even be a violent person by nature, but there's just something about cute, adorable creatures that makes us want to squeeze them a little harder than we should. For example:

About a month ago, my wife and I were in Duluth. We stopped in one of those tourist shops with anything and everything you probably don't need. On the way in I saw a basket full of stuffed dogs. My wife and I have been arguing about dogs since we got married -- I want a big, furry one that I can play with and hug tightly; she doesn't (she's just jealous). The first stuffed dog I saw in the basket was a husky. If I could have any dog in the world it would be a husky. I grabbed it, held it tightly to my chest and said out loud, "A HUSKY! I love huskies! Can we get a husky?!" My wife, unimpressed, made a face and ignored me. So for the remainder of our time in the tourist-store, I held that husky under my arm and carried it around. Every now and then I'd sneak up behind my wife and whisper in her ear, "Can we please get a husky?" We never got a husky.

Soul Pancake did an interesting social experiment to test the theory of cute aggression.

So there you go - if you can't pass a puppy out for a walk or see your friend's new kitten without going gooey over it, you have cute aggression. Whether it's treatable or not, I don't know; just be careful around adorable animals.