Watch More Cat Videos, Apparently They’re Good For Your Health

Good news, cat fans! Those viral videos you enjoy watching featuring feline antics may be good for your health. So suggests a study published in Computers in Human Behavior.

The study examined the internet habits and emotional well-being of 7,000 participants. What researchers reportedly found was a possible correlation between time spent watching cat videos and overall good emotional health.

“Results reveal significant relationships between viewing and personality types and demonstrate conceptual nuances related to the emotional benefits of watching Internet cats.”

It didn’t seem to matter if the individual was a “cat person” or preferred dogs. When viewing cat videos, participants said they felt less anxious, sad, or annoyed. It didn’t matter if they worked or studied while watching the fluffy viral stars; the activity often resulted in a positive emotional boost.

In fact, the enjoyment gained from spending a few minutes watching cat videos was said to outweigh any feelings of guilt associated with procrastination!

Just what is it about cat videos that make us feel so warm and fuzzy inside? It’s the “million dollar question” that Mashable attempted to answer in a 2010 article.

“Cats have a combination of incredible dignity, but also comedy about them. Cats can be so ridiculously pleased with themselves — and you don’t get that with dogs. Because they are so proud and so aware of that dignity, when it is punctured it’s the funniest thing in the world.”

Although dogs can occasionally go viral, cat antics are more liable to capture and hold the internet’s attention. That’s because they’re more likely to act in a way that promotes schaudenfreude, a sentiment similar to what causes particular videos featuring humans to go viral. For instance, “fail” and prank videos are a big hit on YouTube. Not too surprisingly, cats are often stars of these type of videos.

If cats and related clips are good for one’s health, you’re probably wondering which videos you should check out first to get your daily dose of goodness. There are quite a few to choose from, so here are a few polite suggestions.

This viral vid features a “barking” cat who changes back to meowing when busted. Some claim the cat was embarrassed while scientists said otherwise.

A Jenga-playing cat? Well not only did the kitty participate in the game, it seemed to understand at a point that it wasn’t going to win. The reaction was priceless.

Know any good cat videos? Share them below, and help your fellow Inquisitr readers improve their overall health!

[Image Credit: Alan Huett]