SCIENCE! Cat Videos Actually Do Make Us Happier.

We know cat videos make us happy. We just didn’t know why. Well, science has stepped in and found 3 reasons that cat videos make us smile:

• Reduces stress levels
• Helps with our emotions
• Increases productivity

Do you have a love for animals, the internet, and enjoy feeling happy? If you’ve answered yes to one or more of these, you definitely fit the brief of this topic of discussion. It is apparent that cat videos − which are mainly found on YouTube − are known to make people laugh, make them feel happy, and generally lift their mood and spirits.

But why?

Reduces Stress Levels

According to Sasha Petrova, researcher and writer from The Conversation, watching cute cat videos and looking at their online pictures isn’t a waste of time and by doing so could we can actually increase feelings of happiness and reduce stress levels. So if you’re feeling a bit stressed out at work or at school, a quick two minute cat video on YouTube might be just what you need to help get you through the rest of the day.

Helps with Our Emotions

Some people may beg to differ about cat videos making people happy and instead say that they are a procrastination tool and a complete waste of time.

However, Assistant Professor Jessica Gall Myrick from Indiana University Media School has proven different and positive results based on the procrastination of watching cat videos. Myrick undertook a study based on the internet celebrity cats such as Grumpy Cat and Lil Bub to find the motivations and characteristics in the different types of internet users and people who enjoyed watching cat videos. Myrick developed a facebook survey as part of her research which concluded that people’s negative emotions were lower and positive emotions had increased after they watched cat videos on the internet.

“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 afterwards,” Professor Myrick said.

Our emotions seem to have a huge impact while streaming, viewing, and sharing online cat videos as well as images and cat memes. Everyone reacts differently according to what they are watching and viewing, but people’s general response to watching cat videos causes a warm and happy feeling.

Author and contributor, Abigail Posner states in her article, “in the language of the visual web, when we share a video or an image, we’re not just sharing the object, we’re also sharing in the emotional response it creates.”

Increases Productivity

Looking at cat videos also helps to increase our day-to-day productivity. However in order to be productive, our feelings and emotions need to be in order so therefore, our emotions and the increase of productivity go hand-in-hand when discussing the process of viewing cat videos, images and memes.

Statistics from Shutterstock.com have found that more than two million cat videos were posted on YouTube as of 2014, which reached a total of almost 26 billion views. This evidence proves that watching cat videos are not causing a negative impact, but rather a positive approach not only to our stress levels and emotions but to our productivity levels on the internet and what we choose to watch.

Perhaps watching cat videos on YouTube in your spare time really isn’t a waste of time.

Does watching cat videos make you happy? Share your thoughts in the comments below.