Ever see a puppy or baby that's so cute, you just wanted to squeeze it?! Here's why.
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00:00 You've probably heard grandma say, "You're so cute, I could eat you up."
00:08 Or maybe you've seen an adorable puppy and had the urge to squeeze it.
00:12 Scientists say too much cuteness can cause what's known as "cute aggression."
00:17 A University of California study inspired by previous Yale research suggests it doesn't
00:22 mean you want to cause harm.
00:24 It seems to be an involuntary response from being overwhelmed by positive emotions.
00:29 Researchers analyzed the brain's electrical activity in 54 adults as they looked at images
00:34 of animals and people of varying cute levels.
00:38 Cuteness overload was associated with more activity in parts of the brain involving emotion
00:42 and our reward system.
00:44 So the brain may form aggressive thoughts to balance out the overwhelmingly positive
00:49 feelings.
00:50 The findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.
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