"Cute aggression" is a superficial display of aggression typically uttered in response to young children and young, attractive animals. It's also an example of what would be called 'dimorphous expression,' which is a name given to what happens when someone expresses one emotion while feeling another, i.e., "cute" + "aggression." "Cute aggression" is a documented psychological phenomenon, but a recent study from UC Riverside suggests -- and this is what's new -- that there may be a neurological basis for the phenomenon as well.

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In short, the study seems to offer evidence to affirm something resembling the following: you see a cute animal. You see a cute baby. Your brain rewards you so much that you feel overwhelmed. You express the opposite of that emotion to bring yourself back into balance. This leaves you in a more effective place to take care of a small animal or child.