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May 22, 2025 14 mins
In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Michelle Stinson Ross, Tina Schweiger, and Heather Hampton explore the emotion of feeling adorable - that sensation of feeling cute and adored, or finding someone or something unbearably cute. The conversation examines the two-way nature of adoration, the concept of "cute aggression," and how we might cultivate more experiences of this light, positive emotion in our lives. The hosts also discuss the importance of recognizing and growing positive emotions, not just analyzing challenging ones.

Episode Highlights:
  • Heather introduces adorable as a feeling associated with "puppies and kittens" but admits she often experiences this emotion toward others rather than feeling adorable herself, prompting the hosts to discuss the importance of both giving and receiving adoration
  • The hosts explore the phenomenon of "cute aggression" - that overwhelming feeling where something is so adorable you want to squeeze, bite, or physically express your emotion in response to extreme cuteness
  • Tina suggests that when adults seem adorable, it often involves a combination of kindness and silliness, distinguishing "adult adorable" from "baby adorable" through examples of thoughtful, agenda-free gestures
  • The hosts recommend being intentional about cultivating more adoration in our lives by deliberately expressing it toward others with expanded vocabulary beyond just saying "I love you"
  • The conversation concludes with an important insight about emotional awareness: while we often analyze difficult emotions, we should equally pay attention to positive emotions like adorable, as recognizing and cultivating them builds resilience and collective wellbeing
Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay

This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN.Copyright 2025, all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

Don’t miss a moment of the conversation, subscribe to the show on your favorite podcasting platform

Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay

This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

Don’t miss a moment of the conversation, subscribe to the show on your favorite podcasting platform
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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Do you have trouble talking about your feelings?

Speaker 2 (00:06):
You're not alone.

Speaker 3 (00:08):
It's a topic that can make even.

Speaker 1 (00:09):
The most powerful people somewhat squeamish. You're listening to Feelings
Matter where our mission is to demystify everything about emotions
so that we can all get more comfortable in talking
about them. Join Heather, Tina and Michelle as we unpack

(00:30):
a new angle on emotions and the psychology of human nature.
Feelings Matter.

Speaker 4 (00:45):
I'm Michelston's your MS, I have Tedis Schweiger, and I'm Featherhampton.

Speaker 2 (00:50):
All right, shall we talk about adorable? Did anybody want
to talk about adorable?

Speaker 4 (00:56):
Let's talk about adorable.

Speaker 2 (00:59):
So the definition for adorable feeling cute and adored, or
feeling that someone or something is unbearably cute. So that feeling,
oh my god, puppies and kittens like associate puppies and
kittens with that feeling of adore adoration. I'm gonna make

(01:23):
sure that I get all the versions of this word
into this that all more sort of feeling that's absolutely adorable.
So some questions you could ask yourself to check, is
this what I'm feeling? Do you find yourself feeling affectionate
and charmed by someone or something. Do you find their

(01:43):
mannerism's behavior, or appearance irresistibly cute and lovable?

Speaker 3 (01:48):
Puppies and kittens?

Speaker 2 (01:49):
Puppies and kittens. Does the site or presence of this
person or thing evoke feelings of warrants and endearment in you?

Speaker 4 (01:58):
So if that is the direction that.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
Your body, your heart feels light and.

Speaker 4 (02:07):
That's the thing, then.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
You're experiencing some level of adoring adoration. And I feel
like I'm talking a lot. I don't adore my voice
that much.

Speaker 4 (02:20):
Somebody please step in. I have two thoughts. So the
first is in longe sense of like puppies and kittens.
One of the first things that comes to mind for
me is cute aggression, which is a term that has
become very popular, which is that sensation of loving young
So overwhelmed, I want to hurt something, and so can
I want to squeeze something, bite something? If so cute,

(02:42):
I'm overwhelmed by my feelings. So I think that was
like interesting that came up for me. But the other
thing that was sad that came out for me is
that I feel like this is a sensation that I
feel a lot for other things outside of myself and
not necessarily feel about myself. I don't feel adored or

(03:03):
adorable very often, and that's all that that's a bummer
to acknowledge.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Okay, we have a mission, then, Tinette, we are going
to have to make sure that when we are together
in DC to tell Heather often how hellacute she is.

Speaker 3 (03:23):
I think that's an excellent objective. In fact, I would
love to explore self. Do you adore? When you adore,
you feel adorable? You feel adored, you adore yourself or
somebody else is adoring You're in the receiving end of adorable.
I think I was last night. I was hanging out

(03:43):
with my younger who's my sensitive and mom, it's just
so beautiful. I'm like, are you buttering me up? And
your mom just you look way younger than you are
and so beautiful. I was like, and then that just
made me feel adoration and because that was just the
sweetest thing.

Speaker 2 (04:02):
And that's important to call out here that adoration should
be to ray Street.

Speaker 4 (04:09):
Yeah, you should be able to give it and receive it.

Speaker 3 (04:13):
Yeah. I think it's one of those like when you
think of the bigger just love as itself as a
category of like a love is a many splendored thing,
that's one thing in Naalan rouge or whatever that's from.
But adoration and mutual adoration kind of goes in that

(04:35):
bucket and it is is I like how it's a mirror.
Somebody sees adoration, they adore you, you tend to adore
them back. It's kind of a big can mirror equality
to it scary sweet.

Speaker 4 (04:47):
What I think what I'm thinking about is like when
I consider like an adult person adorable, it's usually because
I think there's something bo both kind and silly that's
being done. Like you weren't feeling well, so I bought
you some gummy bears and like only brought you your

(05:10):
favorite colors. Such it's like something very thoughtful and sweet
and just it's a very light, beautiful feeling to get
from some woman. There's no agenda around whatever is being
given to you in terms of a kindness gesture, and
which is very different from like a baby's keeps kind
of feeling. Like adult adorable is different from baby adorable.

Speaker 3 (05:35):
Like when people do the little harthands, I think that's adorable.

Speaker 1 (05:45):
Feelings matter is brought to you by feel wise most
people can identify three emotions sad, mad, and glad, but
there are over one hundred and fifty six ways to
truly express how you feel.

Speaker 2 (06:02):
Feel Wise tools help you.

Speaker 1 (06:04):
Build your emotional vocabulary and transform understanding into action. Discover
the language of emotions on the fuel wise website at
bitley slash fuel wise.

Speaker 5 (06:17):
That's b I T dot l y slash f e
E l WI s E field wise. Turn emotional awareness
into your superpower.

Speaker 3 (06:35):
Yeah, yeah, what other ways can we try to find adorability?
Is that even a word? Or creating more adoration in
our life? How can we create more adoration in our lives?
I think that's a good way. What if you did
something cute and somewhat sully for yourself, then could you

(06:56):
find a way to call yourself adorable? We'll have to
test that theory. I like that.

Speaker 4 (07:02):
Yeah, And that goes back.

Speaker 2 (07:03):
To what Tina was saying about the mirror effect of it, right,
that if you can find an opportunity to be a
bit adorable show someone some adoration, that you're likely.

Speaker 3 (07:18):
You're putting it out into.

Speaker 2 (07:19):
The world and you're likely to get it back.

Speaker 5 (07:22):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (07:22):
I could see that.

Speaker 2 (07:23):
I also find myself realizing that I very frequently in
the way that I communicate with people that I'm purposeful
in not just saying I love you all the time,
that I will make sure that I say things like
I also appreciate you, I adore you. That it is

(07:48):
meaningful to expand our expression of love and appreciation, of care,
of connection, to encompass more than just the LBE word
and expanding adoration.

Speaker 3 (08:03):
There are people who get adored, but it is not
a mirror effect. If you think about fame, the famous
person like Taylor Swift, to think about some of the
most famous, so many people adore her, and can you
imagine what it would be like to walk through the
world on the receiving end of billions of adoring sands.

(08:24):
That would be overwhelming, I think to feel that you'd
have to really get used to it, and that would
might take us back. It's violet VI went adoration, Yes,
you resian yes, Or when like your baby is so
cute you just want to eat their feet? Yeah, that's

(08:48):
a mom thing.

Speaker 4 (08:48):
If you're not a mom, you won't get that. One
mom and a mom, I get that. I love that.

Speaker 3 (08:55):
I won't know if I didn't, I didn't.

Speaker 6 (08:59):
She was the one by those talky cheeks, and I
definitely when my kids were little, it was definitely the
smooth cheese I dis like, but I want to kiss
everything about you.

Speaker 3 (09:10):
Yeah, so cute and I love you so much and
you smell good. You think about adoring words, too, chunky
is a word right there? Or derby or there's just
common like slang phrases that are adorable by their nature
because they're cute and also a little silly. Even what
is it? I have millennials, I had cheeseburgers. I thought

(09:33):
that was pretty adorable. I didn't relate to it as well.

Speaker 4 (09:36):
But I love the word right now small s m
O l oh, Yes, I love It's all you like.
For those of our listeners that are.

Speaker 2 (09:51):
Into Japanese culture and anime, cheebes, cheebese are adorable, be
very cute. Ify version of any type of drawing is
a chibi.

Speaker 4 (10:04):
Cute.

Speaker 2 (10:07):
No.

Speaker 7 (10:08):
I think with adorable this is an opportunity because it
is one of those light, it's not massively intent type
feelings that is definitely one that you're safe to cultivate.

Speaker 2 (10:24):
That one's not likely to lead you into too much
trouble until you get aggressive about it. Anyway.

Speaker 8 (10:32):
But yeah, I would say at least for those of
you listening and contemplating adorable, take a homework assignment and
try and show it to somebody.

Speaker 4 (10:48):
Share it.

Speaker 2 (10:48):
That's one of the things that we frequently find with
the lighter, more positive, more affirming type emotions is that
they should be shared. It's not that we don't experience
them so much as we may just not pay attention
to how often we're actually experiencing it. And if we

(11:09):
take a moment to go ooo, but hute today, I'm
just gonna share that with somebody, then you're able to
cultivate more and more of it.

Speaker 3 (11:21):
Trust is what I have for a mindset when you
can because positivity like sharing and doing there's you can
build on positive emotions like adorable And what better way
to build your baseline of trust with another human than
to find ways to express how much you adore them

(11:46):
or receive that expression, And then having a mindset of
trusts is something that can really help connectments to all
more deep feet.

Speaker 4 (11:56):
I think that's really important to say because a lot
of I think we don't put a lot of importance
or need for analysis on what we define as positive emotions.
We're happy that they're there, but then we let them go.
We spend a lot of energy on what we perceive

(12:18):
as negative energy or emotions and understanding where those emotions
come from and why do I feel that way, et cetera,
et cetera. But we really need to have those moments
of acknowledgment and gratitude and trust and all those things
when we have those positive emotions, because that's what's building
our resilience. Yes, those are that's the tools, that's the

(12:42):
well that we need to fill up, that we can
draw upon in those moments when we're having a hard time.
So I think just that was a great thing to
pay attention to, is that even positive emotions can deed
some reflection. I'm so glad you brought that up, Heather.

(13:02):
I don't think there's anything I think that we all
do tend to focus on those difficult experiences because we
want relief from that. But I think people often miss
the fact that when you focus on those good feelings
that you can actually grow those.

Speaker 3 (13:20):
It does make you more familiar with those great feeling states,
and it's easier to give back into them, so it
really helps build not only your own resilience, but it
helps increase the overall use the term positive as it's
boarded as positive psychology, not like a judgment. But it

(13:42):
increases the positivity to all those around you as well,
which can make you more collectively resilient. And this is.

Speaker 2 (13:51):
Why emotional awareness and emotional literacy are so important, because
the more ways we have of expressing all of the
things that we feel, the better we can be aware
and attune to cultivating what we want to cultivate in
our life. I keep going back to, like how to

(14:14):
be happy? Right, It's not that you're not happy, but
it's more that you need to get better at recognizing
when you are happy, what created that happiness, What creates
that joy, that love, that adoration, and

Speaker 3 (14:31):
Build on it
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