We’re sure on more than one occasion you have probably watched a cat video on Facebook or YouTube. Those videos might be inane but for some reason they are entertaining and usually make you feel pretty good towards the end. Well if your friends or co-workers tell you you’re wasting your time, perhaps you might want to point them to this new study.
According to a recent study published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior (via CNET), it has been found that watching these cat videos might be good for your mental health. The study comprised of 7,000 people via social media and according to the participants, they claim that after watching these videos, they were left with fewer negative emotions such as anxiety, sadness, or annoyance.
However the study also pointed out the obvious, which is that watching these videos tends to lead to procrastination, but is that really such a bad thing? The study’s author Jessica Gall Myrick who is an assistant professor at Indiana University’s Media School said, “Even if they are watching cat videos on YouTube to procrastinate or while they should be working, the emotional pay-off may actually help people take on tough tasks afterward.”
Now we have heard in the past of how there is pet therapy to help people cope with problems, not just physical problems, but mental/emotional ones as well. However not everyone has access to such therapy and that watching these cat videos could act as a low-cost version of it. So the next time you start feeling a bit moody, annoyed, or don’t feel like working, perhaps firing up a cat video might get things moving!