Cat Videos Boost Energy and Positive Emotions

New Study Finds Cat Videos Boost Energy and Positive Emotions

A new study by Jessica Gall Myrick, assistant professor  at Indiana University Media School shows that watching cat videos does more than just help you pass the time. The study published in the latest issue of Computers in Human Behavior surveyed nearly 7,000 people about their cat video viewing and how the videos affect their moods. The study found that watching cat videos actually boosts your energy and positive emotions while decreasing negative feelings.

“Some people may think watching online cat videos isn’t a serious enough topic for academic research, but the fact is that it’s one of the most popular uses of the Internet today,” Myrick said. “If we want to better understand the effects the Internet may have on us as individuals and on society, then researchers can’t ignore Internet cats anymore.

“We all have watched a cat video online, but there is really little empirical work done on why so many of us do this, or what effects it might have on us,” added Myrick, who owns a pug but no cats. “As a media researcher and online cat video viewer, I felt compelled to gather some data about this pop culture phenomenon.”

Cat Videos Get More Views Per Video Than Any Other Category

Internet data show there were more than 2 million cat videos posted on YouTube in 2014, with almost 26 billion views. Cat videos had more views per video than any other category of YouTube content.

Myrick’s goal embarking on the study was to explore: Does viewing cat videos online have the same kind of positive impact as pet therapy? And do some viewers actually feel worse after watching cat videos because they feel guilty for putting off tasks they need to tackle?

Participants in Myrick’s study reported:

• They were more energetic and felt more positive after watching cat-related online media than before.
• They had fewer negative emotions, such as anxiety, annoyance and sadness, after watching cat-related online media than before.
• They often view Internet cats at work or during studying.
• The pleasure they got from watching cat videos outweighed any guilt they felt about procrastinating.
• Cat owners and people with certain personality traits, such as agreeableness and shyness, were more likely to watch cat videos.
• About 25 percent of the cat videos they watched were ones they sought out; the rest were ones they happened upon.
• They were familiar with many so-called “celebrity cats,” such as Nala Cat and Henri, Le Chat Noir.

Of the participants in the study, about 36 percent described themselves as a “cat person,” while about 60 percent said they liked both cats and dogs., the response to watching cat videos was largely positive.

“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,” Myrick said.

The results also suggest that future work could explore how online cat videos might be used as a form of low-cost pet therapy, she said.

So next time you are feeling a little down or stressed, find a cute cat video.

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