Watching animal videos is good for the heart and soul, according to researchers at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom.
They found that heart rates dropped in participants who watched videos and images of cute animals. Also, the average blood pressure of the group moved into the ideal range, and participants’ stress and anxiety levels were reduced by up to 50%.
Heart rate and blood pressure were measured before and after participants watched the videos. The 19 participants consisted of students waiting to take an exam and academic support staff who felt stressed from work.
There’s more – including how cadaver dogs are trained and do their work – in Pet Connection, the weekly nationally syndicated pet feature I co-write with Kim Campbell Thornton and my daughter, trainer Mikkel Becker.
