Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • NPR

    When Too Cute Is Too Much, The Brain Can Get Aggressive

    Adorable babies and cute puppies can make us happy. But researchers say their cuteness can be so overwhelming that it unleashes some ugly thoughts.
    by Jon Hamilton Dec 31, 2018 2 minutes
    Researchers say human brains can become overwhelmed by cute traits, such as large eyes and small noses, embodied by movie characters like Bambi.

    The holiday season is all about cute. You've got those ads with adorable children and those movies about baby animals with big eyes.

    But when people encounter too much cuteness, the result can be something scientists call "cute aggression."

    People "just have this flash of thinking: 'I want to crush it' or 'I, a psychologist in the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Riverside.

    You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

    More from NPR

    NPR4 min read
    Pro-Palestinian Campus Protesters Face Looming Deadlines And Risk Of Arrest
    Hundreds of students have been arrested for participating in pro-Palestinian protests in recent days. And some schools, like Columbia and GW, have given them deadlines to dismantle their encampments.
    NPR2 min readWorld
    A Baby Girl Born Orphaned And Premature After An Israeli Airstrike In Gaza Has Died
    The newborn died after five days in an incubator. Her family was killed in an air strike. UNICEF says 13,000 children have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, with thousands more orphaned and wounded.
    NPR3 min read
    American Airlines Passenger Alleges Discrimination Over Use Of First-class Restroom
    In a complaint to the airline, Pamela Hill-Veal, a retired judge, says that while on a Chicago-to-Phoenix flight, a flight attendant berated her and accused her of slamming the lavatory door.

    Related Books & Audiobooks