Why do I want to cuddle lions and tigers and bears, oh my?

I was talking with my wife the other day and she said that she would like to cuddle a bear.I scoffed.I then went google images and looked at bears, wolves and big cats and thought to my self 'yeah, I'd love to cuddle them, too' (and I started thinking of the scene in the film of Northern Lights where Lorek lets Lyra cuddle him to keep warm and I realised I'd give anything to cuddle an armoured bear!)So that got me thinking: people have very reasonable phobias about snakes and spiders etc and I can see how this can cause people to avoid potentially dangerous creatures.And yet I really do want to cuddle a bear.But a bear, or big cat or wolf (all cuddly) would make short work of a Larni sans EE-3.But I still want to cuddle them; even a polar bear which I know intellectually would see me as a hansom, clever and wise snack.What is it about powerful mammalian predators that makes them cuddly?Coffee house, please.

Thread copied here from the Why do I want to cuddle lions and tigers and bears, oh my? thread in the Proposed New Topics forum.

Really? You want to cuddle this: Or this: Or this: I would think twice about cuddling something like that. The only logical clonclusion therfore is that you are a loony that was not meant to survive by means of natural selection had we still lived 200,000 years ago. Consider yourself lucky.

I never had that urge. Or perhaps the question should be "What is it about Larni ...?"

Just look at how warm and cozy and teddy-like he looks behin his fangs. Of course!

So if a friendly bear came up to you and it looked like you had the chance to cuddle it you would say no?

Safer to kiss a rattlesnake.

Yes, for if nothing else, it is a wild animal. They simply cannot be trusted (no, not in the deeper trust sense) to not harm me. I mean, even dolphins are known to harm humans, and they are not known for their ferocity. Now, a dolphin can't rip you to shreds in under two seconds. A bear, wolf or tiger however, no chance in hell, if they want to kill you, they will.Therefore, no, I will not cuddle a bear, no matter what. I like my limbs, you see.

The thought of predicting the warmth and coziness from their (hopefully) soft fur.I don't think this is so much "I want to cuddle a bear" as it is "I want to be warm and safe". And then looking at a bear, and seeing the potential of being warm and safe.
What is warmer than a bear's fur coat?
What is safer than a bear protecting you? (Assuming that a bear that would allow you to cuddle would, indeed, also protect you).Now "having a bear protect you" doesn't come from nature, since in nature bear's kill Larni's.
But, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you haven't lived in "nature" for quite a while now, eh?
In which case, stories such as The Golden Compass (which, sadly, it doesn't seem like they'll be making the sequels...) and other fictional sources have taught us about the possibility of gaining great safety from a "nice" bear. Also, it's been a while since we've been reminded that bears are indeed ferocious killers. At least, I haven't fought one lately...As you're saying, intellectually (when you remind yourself that fiction is not-real...) you understand that bears are not safe. However, your imagination has learnt that bears (when they're "nice") can be a great source of safety.So... you want to be warm, and you want to be safe... so you want bears.That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Nope, I'd cuddle. Wait... how sure are we about this "friendly" business? Don't want to cuddle if the bear's too friendly...

Why don't snakes bite lawyers? Professional courtesy.I think we, as the preeminent predators on earth, the real kings of beasts, have a certain respect for our fellow predators. Our favourite pets - dogs and cats - are cuddly predators. It seems natural enough to think of their larger cousins as "members of the family" too.Maybe it's a subconscious rationalization that killing each other for a living isn't so bad after all.

---

Life is like a Hot Wheels car. Sometimes it goes behind the couch and you can't find it.

Perhaps you're secretly a Star Trek fan, instead of a Star Wars fan? Spock | Star Trek

Hi, Larni.I think Ringo is on to something: we are the pinnacle predators on this planet, after all, and some sense of kinship seems reasonable.There may be other factors, though. Predators are beautiful creatures; childhood stories and songs are full of nonthreatening lions, tigers and bears.And we are so insulated from the wild (what little is left) that we haven't had our instinctive fear completely activated by exposure to real threats.Considering all that, I'm not surprised mammalian predators elicit cuddle responses. My wife would love to hug the wolves at the sanctuary we visit, but she knows better (living with one and all ).You can reactivate your instincts by hiking in bear country when the cubs are out. Be sure to take a slow friend

---

Have you ever been to an American wedding? Where's the vodka? Where's the marinated herring?!
-Gogol Bordello

That's my point, both are dangerous but I don't want to cuddle a snake, very much.Why do I have double standards?

Ok, what about a bear cub? You must want to cuddle a bear cub (assuming it's mother gave you permission, that is).

That makes a disturbing amount of sense.People like cuddles, what's more cuddly than a bear?