Researchers Claim a Few Cat Videos Per Day Helps Keep the Doctor Away 59
bigwophh writes: A study published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior suggests that watching videos of cats may be good for your health. The study pinged nearly 7,000 people and asked them how viewing cat videos affected their moods. Of those surveyed, over a third (36 percent) described themselves as a "cat person" and nearly two-thirds (60 percent) said they have an affinity for both dogs and cats. Survey subjects noted less tendencies towards feeling anxious, sad, or annoyed after watching cat videos, including times when they viewed the videos while at work or trying to study. They also reported feeling more energetic and more positive afterwards. There may have been some guilt from putting off work or studying to watch Internet videos, but the amusement they got from seeing the antics of cats more than made up for it.
Nice. (Score:3)
Now to convince the boss that I can save him some money on health insurance...
On a totally unrelated note, who would like to share their thoughts on that new button?
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Does this [youtube.com] count as a cat video?
It makes me happy, anyway.
Note : I do own a cat, and wouldn't mind this happening to her. She'd learn.
Keep the doctor away (Score:5, Insightful)
So ... (Score:4, Funny)
ladies with a house-full of cats are just self-medicating?
Yes, but... (Score:4, Funny)
Yes, but the problem is, their ailment is being a cat lady, and you can't fix that with more cats. Doesn't stop them from trying, though.
Pigs ?? (Score:1)
Porn (Score:3)
Science reporting at its best! (Score:5, Informative)
Okay, nothing in the linked article (that I could find) points to the actual study. After some googling, people are apparently reporting on this paper [sciencedirect.com].
The paper has these highlights:
None of this, and nothing in the abstract, is anywhere close to what others and linked articles in the post summary claim.
However, taking an austere view of the highlights, note that 7,000 people were polled and *self reported* that they felt good after watching cat videos.
Also, what does "[viewing] can moderate the relationship between procrastination motives, guilt, and enjoyment" mean? What is this study reporting, and how does one use this information?
"Moderate the relationship between things" is complete non-content speech. It's the thing one would expect from a politician trying to dodge a question.
Also - papers have "highlights" sections now?
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Actually, moderator variables are a well-known concept in statistical modelling. The term describes a relation where a variable has an effect on the relationship between other two variables. For example, it may attenuate the relationship or amplify it.
That said, the sentence you pasted isn't clear enough on what relationships are moderated and in what way.
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that 7,000 people were polled
I thought they were 'pinged'....
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They should have done the test with half group real cat videos and the other half placebos.
So what counts as a placebo? :-)
bonsai kitty?
kitty-shaped furby?
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I'd guess the Not-a-cat Cat [youtube.com] might be the perfect placebo.
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Why is it surprising to you that people feel better after distracting themselves from their problems. My lady uses parrot videos. That was rough for a while after our parrot died, though. She had to switch to cat videos for a while, too.
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I have insider news. Of the 7,000 responses 6,945 were from this [nocookie.net] individual.
LOL wut? (Score:5, Funny)
I can haz conflicting study next Tuesday.
Re:LOL wut? (Score:5, Funny)
The results of this study are hardly surprising and make perfect sense.
Anyone who owns^W serves a cat knows that they are pretty funny little things. Obsessed with their own little empires and first world problems like the food bowl being only 90% full. Is it any wonder that looking at cute animals doing silly stuff, the ultimate straight man act, makes people feel better?
bias? (Score:3)
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They also reported feeling more energetic and more positive afterwards.
So basically the same effect as taking a dozen XTC pills...
There may have been some guilt from putting off work or studying [...], but the amusement they got [...] more than made up for it.
... with pretty much the same result.
Sounds healthy to me.
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They asked how the people felt about watching the video's? They're funny and cute, of course the people felt good, you can't just assume that makes them healthier.
Yeah, in order to make that kind of assumption, stress would have to be the biggest killer!
Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)
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Well, I'm glad that's settled... (Score:3)
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It is encouraging to see the occasional radical, original, and highly controversial theory end up being validated by the data. Really, who ever would have thought that people consume feel-good videos of cute animals to numb the psychological pain of their actual lives?
But wait, there's more. Watching cat videos produces better code. First you have to sack all the people who spend their day watching cat videos. It's so obvious I don't need to do a double-blind study - or even get a professional to conduct the survey. It was so simple an idiot did the study.
Stretches my support for the 1st Amendment (Score:4, Insightful)
You know how they say; "We've got to support the worst to get the best"?
Well that's how I feel right now; mixed. You have to defend the KKK guy using his freedom of speech so you can have someone speak up about Wall Street (and get tear gassed *sigh*).
And I'm all for "research for research sake" because, hey, a penny spent on science is one less penny for Wall Street to leverage into $2, and then shift as a $2.50 tax burden when a depreciation in pennies pushes the leverage the other way.
Now researching Cat Videos? Seems like a demotion from the study; "found that watching internet porn not that harmful, also; stronger wrists."
Well duh (Score:2)
It's not like you can catch toxoplasmosis from watching videos. Unless you forget to wash your hands.
Slashdot - the new home of bad science. Oh, and chocolate is good for you. I read it on NineMSN, so it must be true (apologies to Jack Nicholson).
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Therapeutic (Score:3)
viewing cat videos affected their moods
And we know that everything mood-altering is good for your physical health and consequently promoted by governments all over the world.
R.I.P. Orange Kitty! (Score:1)
lol, my last cat died a few weeks ago and I've noticed that I've been watching a lot more cat videos lately. It's about time for a new kitty!
Gordon Shumway (Score:4, Informative)
Did anyone else notice that the lead researcher was Gordon Shumway [wikipedia.org]?
Fitz does it! (Score:2, Informative)
In my Science Fiction novel 'Chromosome Quest', the hero, Fitz, takes a time-out to watch cat videos when he's feeling stressed. I put that in for a reason! It works! http://www.chromosomequest.com... [chromosomequest.com]
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I'm super allergic to cats, you insensitive clod. (Seriously, I'd love a cat, but I am legitimately super allergic, which is sadmaking. Can't quite justify spending upwards of a thousand bucks on a hypoallergenic cat this time, though it is occasionally tempting.)
p.s. Why would I want to keep The Doctor away? I'd love to meet him!
Nobody... (Score:2)
Wow that's the cat's meow (Score:2)
These people are victims (Score:2)
It's the toxoplasmosis that is controlling their web surfing.