People today seem to spend more time looking at cute cats and dogs. And now a study suggests that spending countless hours watching cats and dogs, turns out to be our favorite pass-time and it can also our increase productivity. A study conducted by Hiroshima University suggests that looking at pictures of puppies, pandas, and grumpy cats at work, not only improves one’s mood but also increases their productivity.

The research paper, titled – The Power of Kawaii: Viewing Cute Images Promotes a Careful Behavior and Narrows Attentional Focus, concluded that looking at cute images at work can boost attention to detail and overall performance.

To conclude this, the researchers studied three different groups of students as they completed various different tasks. Each group practiced their respective so for at least twice – the first time without viewing any pictures, and then after looking at a series of pictures. The picture taken for the research were a mix of baby animals and food.

The result stated that the students who were shown pictures of cute animals fared better at the game than the people who were shown pictures of food. The researchers further theorized several reasons for the improvement. And one of the reasons for the same was that looking at cute things improves the performance of non-motor perceptual tasks and increases our productivity.

Another reason may be connected to nurturing instincts. “If viewing cute things makes the viewer more attentive, the performance of a non-motor perceptual task would also be improved,” the study stated

In 2011, The Wall Street Journal reported, “Web browsing can actually refresh tired workers and enhance their productivity, compared to other activities such as making personal calls, texts or emails, let alone working straight through with no rest at all.”

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Published by Isha Kataria on 07 Mar 2019