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(Image Source: WikiMedia Commons)
BY JASMINE BAILEY
If you’re having a rough time being productive at work — some researchers at Japan’s Hiroshima University may have found your motivation. Here’s HLN.
“If you feel distracted at work today you may want to look at pictures of kittens or babies. Because Japanese researchers say that people who took a break to look at pretty pictures ended up being more productive”
That’s right— pictures of cuddly critters can do more than give you the warm and fuzzies. The study is called “The Power of Kawaii: Viewing Cute Images Promotes a Careful Behavior and Narrows Attentional Focus.” Kawaii is a Japanese word meaning cute.
Life With Cats reports:
“Researchers conducted three experiments where subjects viewed a variety of images that included baby animals, adult animals and food. The subjects played games setup to measure their performance at tasks, and the results were measured based on which type of images were viewed.”
This chart provided by Plos One shows the results.
Participants who looked at images of baby animals, considered the cute images, were far more productive during the study than those who looked at adult animals or food.
Looking at the pictures of food probably just made some of the participants ready to go to lunch. Well, a writer for Live Science says the findings aren’t all that surprising.
“Previous studies have shown that humans slow down their speech when talking to babies, and the Japanese researchers speculated that viewing the cute images may have had a similar effect — slowing the behavior of the students who saw the cute baby animals and improving their accuracy… “
The independent Florida Alligator has another take on the study.
“Do you realize what this means? It means we have an excuse. It means we can look at all the cute photos we want, all in the name of productivity. ... We all need a break every now and then."
Cute pictures are also shown to promote friendliness. So maybe pull out a picture of a kitten or puppy and be productive and happy today.