Do you often find yourself scrolling through social media and watching cute animal videos or pictures? Well, good for you! A study has found evidence that watching cute animals contributes to a reduction in stress and anxiety.

The study, conducted by Dr. Andrea Utley, an associate professor at the University of Leeds in association with Western Australia Tourism examined how watching cute videos and photos of puppies, kittens, baby gorillas, quokkas (who are also often referred to as the world's happiest animals) and the likes for 30 minutes affected blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety.

The study was conducted on 19 participants where their heart rates, anxiety and blood pressure was monitored, during the season of exams - when the stress level is anyway high. 

The study recorded that average blood pressure dropped from 136/88 to 115/71,  which the study pointed out is "within ideal blood pressure range." Average heart rates were lowered to 67.4 bpm, a reduction of 6.5%. Anxiety rates also went down by 35%, with some individuals experiencing a fall of almost 50 percent. 

"I was quite pleasantly surprised that during the session, every single measure for every single participant dropped. Some with their heart rate reduced, some with their blood pressure reduced," Utley said. 

When questioning the participants, the study found that most preferred video clips over still images, particularly of animals interacting with humans.

So, if you’ve been feeling anxious or stressed out lately, go binge watch the cutest videos of the cutest animals! 

Source: CNN