Why Watching Cat Videos is Good for You

Do you sometimes delight in a YouTube video of a grumpy cat or kittens playing with babies? You're not alone. Studies on people’s internet habits repeatedly show that watching cat videos is one of the main activities online. YouTube boasts over two million such videos, which have garnered nearly 26 billion views. On average, cat videos attract more viewers than any other category on YouTube.

A recent study by Professor Jessica Gall Myrick from Indiana University offers a possible explanation for this phenomenon. Professor Myrick surveyed 7,000 people who regularly watch cat videos and found that this habit positively impacts their mood.

"Some may think that watching cat videos is not a serious enough subject for academic study, but the fact is, it’s one of the most popular uses of the internet today," says Professor Myrick. "If we want to better understand the effects of the internet on us as individuals and as a society, we cannot ignore internet cats."

Myrick’s study showed that watching cat videos made viewers feel more energized and positive, reducing anxiety and irritation. Even if watched during study breaks or similar tasks, the enjoyment from the videos generally outweighed the guilt of wasting time. "It seems that the break taken to watch a cat video actually helped viewers tackle a tough task afterward," Myrick says. And the most surprising conclusion from the study? She suggests that it might be possible to develop cat videos into a cheap and accessible form of animal therapy.