Post by SAR01 on Jul 25, 2017 21:18:03 GMT -5
Cat Videos Improve Mental Health
by Beth Levine
Image
The
next time you are sitting at your laptop stressing over the work you
need to finish or the bills you have to pay, stop and switch gears for a
little while. In fact, you might want to take a break and find a few
cute cat videos to watch.
That's right, cat videos. Despite being every
comedian's favorite focus for mockery, cat videos may have received a
bum rap from those who call them a colossal waste of time. According to
new research, spending time viewing cat videos might actually be good
for you.
The study, which was conducted at Indiana University's Media School in
Bloomington, found that looking at videos of various cat antics may help
improve your mood and provide a mental health boost. The subjects were
nearly 7,000 people who responded to a social media survey of questions
about their online viewing habits.
The participants provided a self-assessment of their personality traits
and reported on their cat video watching behavior as well as the
feelings these videos generated in them. A majority of the
volunteers--60 percent--said they like cats and dogs, while 36 percent
identified themselves specifically as cat people. But regardless of
whether they prefer cats over dogs or aren't particularly devoted to any
species of animal, the subjects were all positively affected
emotionally from looking at cat videos. Go figure!
After watching cat videos, the participants reported experiencing a
reduction in negative emotions including sadness, annoyance, and
anxiety. This held true even when they were watching the videos while
they should have been doing work or studying. Instead of increasing
their stress levels over procrastinating or developing guilt, they
generally said they felt a measure of pleasure that hadn't existed prior
to their video viewing.
Who is the typical audience for the plethora of cat videos so readily
found on the Internet? The data compiled from the survey responses
suggests that it was mainly those who own cats and individuals who
consider themselves to be shy and agreeable who are the most likely to
view the frolicking felines. But they were not always actively looking
for cat videos. Only in 25 percent of cases were the cat videos the
volunteers watched actively sought out. The remaining 75 percent came up
as the viewers were just jumping around on the Internet.
Clearly, the survey respondents were hardly alone in their selection of
cat videos to view. A 2015 Pew Research Center report found that 45
percent of the videos people post to YouTube involve their cat or
another animal. Incredibly, more than two million cat videos have been
posted on YouTube to date, and these videos have a mind-staggering 26
billion (yes, that's billion with a b) views, making cat videos by far
the most popular viewing category on YouTube.
Now, this research does leave a lot of information unexplained, such as
how long a viewer watched their cat videos before their mood began to
elevate. It is possible that just one or two minutes of the cute kitties
will do the trick and start your spirits soaring. But is there such as a
thing as too much of a good thing? After all, there is a big difference
between grabbing a few minutes of entertainment versus several hours of
mindless watching. Whereas a couple of quick videos might be just right
to brighten your mood and help you take on the next task on your agenda
with renewed vigor, spending two hours viewing video after video just
seems wrong on so many levels. Aside from the utter lack of
productivity, it means you are sitting and getting no exercise
whatsoever, which we all know takes a health toll if it becomes a habit.
The point of this study, ultimately, may not be so much about cat videos
per se, but to provide a reminder that we all need to stop what we're
doing from time to time in order to do something we enjoy for a little
while. Whether it's a time out from studying, a quick work break, or
just a change of pace during the day, take a few minutes out to indulge
in whatever brings you pleasure. If that's a cat video, great--there are
plenty out there for you to peruse. If instead it can be found in a
quick phone call to a loved one, a mini session of stretching to get the
blood flowing, or reading a few pages of a book, that's fine too.
Anything that can provide that brief escape and put a smile on your face
is well worth it.
To view article references and comment, click here.
link
by Beth Levine
Image
The
next time you are sitting at your laptop stressing over the work you
need to finish or the bills you have to pay, stop and switch gears for a
little while. In fact, you might want to take a break and find a few
cute cat videos to watch.
That's right, cat videos. Despite being every
comedian's favorite focus for mockery, cat videos may have received a
bum rap from those who call them a colossal waste of time. According to
new research, spending time viewing cat videos might actually be good
for you.
The study, which was conducted at Indiana University's Media School in
Bloomington, found that looking at videos of various cat antics may help
improve your mood and provide a mental health boost. The subjects were
nearly 7,000 people who responded to a social media survey of questions
about their online viewing habits.
The participants provided a self-assessment of their personality traits
and reported on their cat video watching behavior as well as the
feelings these videos generated in them. A majority of the
volunteers--60 percent--said they like cats and dogs, while 36 percent
identified themselves specifically as cat people. But regardless of
whether they prefer cats over dogs or aren't particularly devoted to any
species of animal, the subjects were all positively affected
emotionally from looking at cat videos. Go figure!
After watching cat videos, the participants reported experiencing a
reduction in negative emotions including sadness, annoyance, and
anxiety. This held true even when they were watching the videos while
they should have been doing work or studying. Instead of increasing
their stress levels over procrastinating or developing guilt, they
generally said they felt a measure of pleasure that hadn't existed prior
to their video viewing.
Who is the typical audience for the plethora of cat videos so readily
found on the Internet? The data compiled from the survey responses
suggests that it was mainly those who own cats and individuals who
consider themselves to be shy and agreeable who are the most likely to
view the frolicking felines. But they were not always actively looking
for cat videos. Only in 25 percent of cases were the cat videos the
volunteers watched actively sought out. The remaining 75 percent came up
as the viewers were just jumping around on the Internet.
Clearly, the survey respondents were hardly alone in their selection of
cat videos to view. A 2015 Pew Research Center report found that 45
percent of the videos people post to YouTube involve their cat or
another animal. Incredibly, more than two million cat videos have been
posted on YouTube to date, and these videos have a mind-staggering 26
billion (yes, that's billion with a b) views, making cat videos by far
the most popular viewing category on YouTube.
Now, this research does leave a lot of information unexplained, such as
how long a viewer watched their cat videos before their mood began to
elevate. It is possible that just one or two minutes of the cute kitties
will do the trick and start your spirits soaring. But is there such as a
thing as too much of a good thing? After all, there is a big difference
between grabbing a few minutes of entertainment versus several hours of
mindless watching. Whereas a couple of quick videos might be just right
to brighten your mood and help you take on the next task on your agenda
with renewed vigor, spending two hours viewing video after video just
seems wrong on so many levels. Aside from the utter lack of
productivity, it means you are sitting and getting no exercise
whatsoever, which we all know takes a health toll if it becomes a habit.
The point of this study, ultimately, may not be so much about cat videos
per se, but to provide a reminder that we all need to stop what we're
doing from time to time in order to do something we enjoy for a little
while. Whether it's a time out from studying, a quick work break, or
just a change of pace during the day, take a few minutes out to indulge
in whatever brings you pleasure. If that's a cat video, great--there are
plenty out there for you to peruse. If instead it can be found in a
quick phone call to a loved one, a mini session of stretching to get the
blood flowing, or reading a few pages of a book, that's fine too.
Anything that can provide that brief escape and put a smile on your face
is well worth it.
To view article references and comment, click here.
link