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A study conducted by the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom suggest that watching cute animals may lead to a reduction in stress and anxiety.
The study examined how watching images and videos of cute animals for 30 minutes affects blood pressure, heart rate(心率) and anxiety. In December 2019, 19 people, including 15 students, joined in the study.
"There were some kittens, there was puppies, there were baby gorillas, there were quokkas —cute creatures found in Western Australia, are often referred to as 'the world's most cheerful animals'." Dr. Andrea Utley, a professor at the University of Leeds told CNN. The study was timed during winter exams, a time when stress is at an especially high level for students, according to Utley.
The study recorded that the average blood pressure dropped from 136/88 to 115/71, which the study pointed out is "within ideal blood pressure range." Average(平均的) heart rates were lowered to 67.4 bpm, a reduction of 6.5%. Anxiety rates also went down by 35%.
"I was quite pleasantly surprised that during the session, every single measure for every single participant dropped some — heart rate reduced, blood pressure reduced," Utley said. "When they left, they filled the questionnaire(调查问卷) in again and showed that they were feeling less worried."
When questioning the participants, the study found that most preferred video clips over still images, particularly of animals interacting with humans.
