It's good to look at kittens during lunchtime, during meetings, and before bedtime—basically anytime, especially if your boss doesn't notice.
However, recently, scientists at the University of Leeds in the UK experimentally confirmed this and explained why we find these little animals so appealing.
As reported: Fakta.today
Dr. Andrea Utley did a very pleasant job: she curated a 30-minute video of kittens, puppies—the cutest she could find, along with gorillas and even quokkas.
Quokkas are adorable small fluffy animals found in Western Australia. Quokkas are known as the "happiest animals in the world."
She initiated her experiment during the winter semester, when everyone was only thinking about sleep, and stress levels were very high.
For the experiment, she selected fifteen students and four teachers, hooked them up to devices measuring heart rate and breathing, and offered them the opportunity to watch videos and photos of cute little animals.
After thirty minutes of watching the videos, all the subjects experienced a decrease in blood pressure, a reduction in heart rate, and a decrease in anxiety levels.
The study found that the average blood pressure dropped from 136/88 to 115/71, which, according to the study, "is within the ideal range."
The average heart rate decreased to 67.4 beats per minute, which is a 6.5% decrease. The level of anxiety also decreased by 35%.
Anxiety was measured using self-assessment through a specialized professional technique.
"I was quite surprised that it worked for every participant," says Utley.
The survey showed that participants in the experiment preferred video clips over presentations with static images.
Participants particularly enjoyed photos of animals interacting with humans. Utley planned to conduct eight experiments, but her plans were hindered by the coronavirus restrictions.
In the coming year, she plans to continue her experiments, but in the meantime, she is exploring how to proceed with online research.
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