If you are one of those people who spend much of their time watching cute animal videos, I come bearing good news for you! Turns out, watching such videos are not a waste of time. In fact, they are good for your health!
According to a report by Times Now, watching cute animals helps reduce stress by as much as 50%. It also helps in lowering blood pressure and normalising one’s heart rate.
In an experiment conducted by the University of Leeds, Australia, 19 individuals were asked to be a part of this study, 15 of whom had to appear for an important exam in 90 minutes. They were made to watch videos on Australia’s happiest animals, quokkas, for 30 minutes.
According to Daily Mail, it was found that the stress levels of the participants dropped by 50%, the average blood pressure fell from 136/88 to 115/71, and one person’s heart rate fell from 90bpm to 68 bpm in just 30 minutes!
One participant was so relaxed on seeing the videos that he fell asleep!
“It was clear that students were anxious ahead of their exams, with heart rates and blood pressure for most participants mildly elevated before our session took place. Throughout the course of the session, heart rates and blood pressure fell across all individuals to a level that would be considered healthy and indicative of limited stress or anxiety,” said researcher Dr Andrea Utley.
It was inferred that human interaction with animals was indeed stress-reducing and that watching videos of cute animals offers great benefits.
So, in case you are stressed out right now, here are some uber cute animal videos for you to binge on!
Hence, the next time you feel stressed out, you know what to do!