The short answer according to recent research is yes.
Having animals around you has been known for many years to lower stress. However, researchers wanted to know if just watching videos of animals would lower stress as well.
So they assembled volunteers and put them into three groups.
One group watched videos of animals. Another group watched a soap opera and a final group watched a blank screen. Each group was then exposed to a stressor – reading aloud to an audience.
The groups that watched a soap opera or a blank screen had high levels of stress. The group that watched the animal videos appears to be much less stressed by the experience of reading aloud.
So researchers concluded “that videotapes of certain animals can reduce cardiovascular responses to psychological stress and may help to buffer viewers from anxiety…”
So if you want to prevent stress in just 60 seconds find a cute video of an animal on Youtube and just enjoy.
What do you think of this research? Will you try this idea today? Leave me a comment below.
3 replies to "Could This Video Lower Your Stress In 60 Seconds?"
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I’m not surprised. They have found if older folks in rest homes are allowed to have a pet… they do much better and are happier.
This would be a great idea for rest homes. Have them watch pet videos and see if they get the same results.
I can certainly see how soap operas can bring on the stress. How about sports events? I bet blood pressure is off the charts. I wonder if petting your dog during the game would help.
Perhaps not.. the dog is better off being out in the garage… might get kicked. lol
Kathryn,
Thanks for your comment. Yes pets do help the elderly. And actually owning dogs is associated with more positive health benefits than other animals – much greater than owning a cat surprisingly. I wonder if it’s because dogs seem to need us more.
The soap opera surprisingly had not effect positive or negative on stress. It was the same as watching a blank tv screen. Go figure.
Rodney