Cute aggression is the urge to act aggressively towards young children or animals that are perceived as cute. Cuteness here is defined by the baby schema, which according to Ethologist Konrad Lorenz, maintains that animals with round faces and big eyes are cuter than animals with other features. Aggressive thoughts, such as wanting to pinch the cheeks of a baby or animal or even bite them, appear to be involuntary responses to the cuteness of babies or animals, and while these thoughts might at first appear to be dangerous, these are signs or indications of caretaking attitudes in human beings. That is, people who want to pinch babies actually want to take care of them. This study will analyze which age group is more susceptible to cute aggression toward babies, and which group is more likely to exhibit cute aggression towards animals. Multiple studies have been done in regards to cute aggression however little to no research can be found on how cute aggression is displayed differently through various age groups. A survey will be conducted asking participants a series of questions after they view multiple images of both animals and babies. Participants will be grouped into 3 categories: Group 1: Ages 18-35, Group 2: Ages 36-50, and Group 3: Ages 51-65. The results of the statistical analysis are expected to show that participants from Group 2: ages 35 to 50 will likely display significantly more cute aggression towards babies, while participants from age groups 18-35 and 51-65 would show more cute aggression towards animals. It will be shown that participants who fall within the standard childbearing age are more likely to show cute aggression towards babies because they are more inclined to bestow caretaking behaviors, while the other 2 age groups will show cute aggression towards animals.
The Emergence of Cute Aggression From Babies and Animals
Category
Psychology 2