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I buy the "overwhelmed by positive emotion" explanation. As a parent I've seen this in my daughters, specially in the first years. They would hugh you strongly
by pmoleri 8y ago
I buy the "overwhelmed by positive emotion" explanation. As a parent I've seen this in my daughters, specially in the first years. They would hugh you strongly and in ocassions even bite. I've always understood this as some emotional overflow with no harm intended. Which makes sense, since managing emotions is not easy for toddlers.
- bobthechef 8y agoThere are adult activities during which intense emotions can manifest in stronger (not harmful) physical responses.
- stcredzero 8y agoThere is something similar to me about the satisfaction of hunger and the satisfaction of sexual desire. There is something genuinely destructive about the former and much that can mimic violence in the latter. Sometimes, I've seen people say, "Oh you are so cute, I could just eat you up!" then follow this up with a barrage of kisses and hugs. As I remember it, usually, they're older women. Sometimes I feel this way about my wife, who is naturally very, very cute. Sometimes, I really feel the urge to leave her feeling bedraggled with an excess of attention and affection.
- ineedasername 8y agoMy kids have done the same thing! It's like an extension of them nuzzling into you, and then they're not just rubbing their head into your should, they're gnawing on it a bit too. I think you're right and it's just they don't have other outlets for what is essentially a joyful emotion, and they certainly don't know "biting = hurt = bad"
- uwagan 8y agoi feel a similar aggression for parents that fawn over their cute pets or their cute kids.
- austincheney 8y agoThat is completely not what this is about, but your comment made me laugh.
- JumpCrisscross 8y ago> They would hugh you strongly and in ocations even bite Double check they aren't cats.
- reaperducer 8y agoYep. I have a cat who only bites when he's angry, and another one who only bites when she's happy. Between the two of them, my arms look like I'm a heroin addict.
- iseeyoubydesign 8y agoyou have one cat who you abused ... and that cat learned to bite. You have another cat that you treated nicer because you decided that the abuse of the 2nd cat was not good. That cat likes to "play" I had a cat I would torment (throw on the couch across a room, spin around) cause I was a young boy that didnt know better. That cat grew up never trusting me, but did learn to bite.
- Wistar 8y agoBreed the two to get to aggression neutral?
- worldstarhiphop 8y agoPlease don't post funny jokes on HN.
- padpnut 8y agoIn Indonesia there is a word for this aggression (Gregetan). Is there a word for this type of aggression in english?
- steve_adams_86 8y agoSpeaking as someone with an average vocabulary: Not that I can think of. After a quick look it seems as though it's known that some non-English languages do include singular words for this, but in English it's called "cute aggression", "playful aggression", or similar terms.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- torstenvl 8y agoThe word "ecstasy" means overwhelming joy, but also means you are frenzied and out of control.
- scoggs 8y agoI don't know if this official or publicly traded knowledge but I believe it's, "Put that toddler on Adderall / Ritalin!"
- samstave 8y agoThis is acurate. Sadly so. I have had three daughters who exhibit what was stated above about super hugs, clenching teeth with saying "i just looove you soooo much" and shaking.... I was aware of this as a positive thing forever. And its lovely as encouraging them to be emotionally engaged with the world is important part of existing. I threatened to disown my parents when they were deciding to put my younger brother on ritalin when he was a child because they were being told he was hyper, adhd, etc. i told them they needed to stand up to bullshit medicating of him just because teachers said whatever... (no need to go into details, but the schools and teachers in the late 80s were victims of pharma snake oil bullshit, which is why i havent taken even as much as an aspirin or advil in 20 years)... Children need to thrive, engage, be encouraged to explore all aspects of life, but we have architected our entire society to supress the natural human condition. But ironically, as a cyberpunk nerd of the 80s i somehow thought that smart drugs and neurotropic enhancement agents were going to be the future hotness. Where is my damn eye implant?
- agumonkey 8y agolove and stomach are next door neighbors