Have you ever been hanging out with your significant other, and then unexpectedly, you feel the urge to bite them? Or have you ever been on the receiving end of one of these bites? Well, I’m here to tell you that despite how weird it may be, you aren’t alone no matter what side of the teeth you find yourself on. So many people experience this odd little evolutionary phenomenon, so don’t feel too weird if you find yourself having to keep from biting.
Now to anyone unfamiliar with this experience, when I say biting your significant other, you’re probably imagining something between MGK and Megan Fox weirdness or your local furry couple, but this is actually a relatively normal occurrence. The bites are never in a way that is intended to hurt the other but instead used as a way to express affection when the bitter mind simply has no other outlet. While this may sound like a totally made-up phenomenon that several other Tik Tok lesbians and I are using as an excuse to gently bite our girlfriends, it happens more often than you would think and has actually had multiple studies done to investigate it.
This odd little phenomenon is called cute aggression, and it’s very similar to what other people feel when they see cute babies or animals. For example, a more mild form of cute aggression seen as more acceptable is when people pinch a baby’s cheeks. We do this because our brain is experiencing such a rush of emotions that it has no other outlet other than what is often called superficial aggression. This mental response offers our brain a way to catch up and snap back so that we can protect the thing that is bringing us so much joy by working to regulate our emotions more. All of this is actually tied back to Dimorphous Expression, which means that you are expressing an emotion opposite to what you feel. And while this usually presents itself in the form of perhaps laughing at a funeral or crying when receiving good news, these reactions are purely evolutionary responses to overwhelming emotional stimuli.
And although this is perfectly normal, sometimes the urge to bite will strike at an inopportune time, and when those times occur, a few things you can do are; bite something else (I once had to grab a plastic fork, and while it took longer for my emotions to regulate since it wasn’t towards the object of my cute aggression it did still work). Another option is to take a step back, excuse yourself for a moment, take stock of what caused the response, and find another outlet to express that emotion.
I know sometimes it feels embarrassing and like you’re the biggest weirdo in the world because of how your brain works sometimes. Still, for matters like this and all others, it’s important to remind yourself that with 8 billion people on this planet, you’re never as alone as you think you are. But on those days, it gets harder to remember, especially for my fellow biters; just look up the Elmo Balsamic vinegar sound on tik tok, and I guarantee you’ll leave feeling almost like you’ve never had an original experience.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CWU chapter.