Those of us that are connected to multiple social media sites will not have failed to have been spammed at some point by video clips or memes of cute animals doing cute things.
According to goodnewsnetwork.org a study by Tourism Western Australia and University of Leeds we don’t actually have to see the real deal in order to feel a sense of reduced stress levels.
To be fair their sample size was only 19 participants who were students and academics at the University and about to sit exams or had declared feelings of stress at work. They were shown a 30 minute slide show of cute stuff.
Heart rates were reported to have dropped and blood pressure went from 136/88 to 115/71. Anxiety levels dropped by 50%. One of the conclusions was that video was better than still image and therefore the expectation would be that physical closeness would be even better.
Quokkas found in Western Australia are little rodent type critters who have a cute smiley face and now apparently have their own TV station where you can watch them all the time.
I think the nearest thing we’ll be allowed in the office is a few posters, although we did have a visit from Sam the Therapy dog once.
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