 |
| It's not just videos! Memes can also induce happiness. |
It has finally happened. Social science has discovered Internet
cat videos.
Well, I say “discovered,” but what I mean is “taken enough
of an interest in to create a survey, the results of which were analyzed
for insights into the Internet cat phenomenon” (“discovered” is just so much
easier to say). This study, by Dr. Jessica Gall Myrick of Indiana University (who tells us she is actually allergic to cats and is more of a dog person; she has a pug named Biscuit),
appears in the most recent edition of the journal Computers in Human Behavior. In case you don’t subscribe to that one, I summarize
the important points below.
Why study Internet cats?
First, that is kind of a dumb question. Obviously, cat-related
content is the best thing the Internet has to offer.
The researcher did have a more scientific reason, though: to
find out what sort of people look at Internet cats, why they do so, and how the
experience affects them emotionally.
The supposition is that people might go online to find some
cute cat stuff to either lift their spirits if they’re feeling down or keep their
spirits up if they’re already happy. Myrick sought to see if this idea is true.
What exactly did the study, study?
With some help from Lil BUB, the study used on online survey
that people responded to voluntarily. The survey asked questions about the
respondents’ pets, their own personality and well-being, and their Internet cat
viewing habits. It also asked how people felt before and after viewing an
Internet cat.
Who goes gaga over Internet cats?
What sort of people look at Internet cats? Well, of the 6,795
respondents in this study, 88% were female, 90% were white, and their average
age was 38.74 years.
So, if you chuckle and/or squee over cute cat videos, odds
are you’re a thirty-something white woman.
Why do people seek out online cat content?
Actually, most of the time they don’t seek it out (or so
they say). Cat content seeks them out.
Respondents reported they only went looking for Internet
cats about a quarter of the time; mostly they “happened upon it accidentally”
while on the Internet for something else (checking the Twitter feed on which
they follow 451 different cat-related accounts, perhaps? Not that there’s
anything wrong with that—that’s exactly how She of Little Talent gets her near-daily
cute-cat fix).
How do Internet cats affect people’s emotions?
Respondents said they felt more hopeful, happy, and content
after viewing Internet cats. They also felt less anxious, annoyed, or sad, and they
had more energy. They did feel a little guilty if they were online wasting time
instead of doing whatever they were supposed to be doing (working), but the
cats made them so happy they didn’t care. Basically.
The takeaway
More research can certainly be done on the relationship
between Internet cats and human happiness. However, we will go out on a limb
and say this:
Try an Internet cat today:
Feel happier, more energetic, and
less guilty!*
(*The study and its author have in no way endorsed this statement. We
totally made it up.)
Recommended viewing for maximum happiness
Of course you humans all have your personal favorites, but some cat videos are almost guaranteed to induce smiles and laughter. Even Myrick, the researcher who much prefers pug videos (go figure) has her favorite Internet cats, including Lil Bub's Big Show, Patty-Cake Cats (there's this English version and our favorite, the French version), Yass Cat, and the classic Keyboard Cat. She of Little Talent would second all of those and add the web series Cat CATastrophes, as well as the Twitter accounts Cat Food Breath and Texts from Mittens.
Now, please enjoy this Lil BUB video:
No comments:
Post a Comment