Ever see a puppy or baby that's so cute, you just wanted to squeeze it?! Here's why.
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00:00You've probably heard grandma say, you're so cute, I could eat you up.
00:08Or maybe you've seen an adorable puppy and had the urge to squeeze it.
00:12Scientists say too much cuteness can cause what's known as cute aggression.
00:17A University of California study inspired by previous Yale research suggests it doesn't mean you want to cause harm.
00:24It seems to be an involuntary response for being overwhelmed by positive emotions.
00:29Researchers analyzed the brain's electrical activity in 54 adults as they looked at images of animals and people of varying cute levels.
00:38Cuteness overload was associated with more activity in parts of the brain involving emotion and our reward system.
00:44So the brain may form aggressive thoughts to balance out the overwhelmingly positive feelings.
00:49The findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.