Why You Should Watch Cat Videos at Work

(Inside Science TV) Do you feel happier? You should, says Alistair Jennings from University College London, guest host for ISTV. That’s what the largest, and only, direct study of affect of cat videos on mood predicts.

Now, we’re not quite sure why this works, but we do know that playing with real pets also improves your mood. And the brain often activates the same pathways as when you’re watching something happen to when you’re actually doing it.

So, maybe your brain is treating this virtual cat interaction, like a real cat interaction and improving your mood. Now, I hope you’re watching this at work, because it will help!

Viewing cute images has been shown to boost your physical and your mental carefulness, as well as focusing your attention to details. Just in the same way that being around something cute and fragile makes you act more carefully in reality.

Just seeing an image of something cute and fragile activates those same brain circuits.

And yet another benefit of cat videos is that it makes you take short breaks during long periods concentration. And that has been shown to improve your performance. Now, paradoxically the longer the break that you take, the faster you tire out when you finally return to work.

The ideal break length is about the length of a cat video.

So, all in all, cat videos should be actively encouraged at work, and if you can’t find a good one, checking Facebook has also been shown to improve your mood. But if you want to boost your carefulness your attention to detail, and your mood …there really is no substitute for super cute cat videos!