Jessica Gall Myrick

According to a new study by Jessica Gall Myrick, an assistant professor and researcher in Indiana University’s media school, watching cat videos can boost energy and positive emotions while decreasing negative feelings.

The study, published in the most recent issue of Computers in Human Behavior, surveyed nearly 7,000 people regarding their viewing of cat videos and how it affects their moods.

“Some people may think watching online cat videos isn’t a serious enough topic for academic research, but the fact is that it’s one of the most popular uses of the Internet today,” said Myrick. “If we want to better understand the effects the Internet may have on us as individuals and on society, then researchers can’t ignore Internet cats anymore.”

Myrick’s data shows there were more than two million cat videos posted to YouTube in 2014, with a total of nearly 26 billion views. Cat videos have more views per video than any other category of content on YouTube.

“We all have watched a cat video online, but there is really little empirical work done on why so many of us do this, or what effects it might have on us,” stated Myrick, who does not have a cat but does have a pug. “As a media researcher and online cat video viewer, I felt compelled to gather some data about this pop culture phenomenon.”

In Myrick’s study, the most popular sites for viewing cat videos were Facebook, YouTube, Buzzfeed and I Can Has Cheezburger. Some of the effects she hoped to explore included whether viewing cat videos online had the same type of positive impact as pet therapy and whether some viewers felt worse after watching the videos due to feeling guilty for putting off other tasks.

Participants in Myrick’s study reported:

• They felt more energetic and positive after watching cat-related online media than before.
• They had fewer negative emotions such as anxiety, annoyance and sadness after watching cat-related online media than before.
• They often view Internet cats at work or during studying.
• The pleasure they got from watching cat videos outweighed any guilt they felt about procrastinating.
• Cat owners and people with certain personality traits, such as agreeableness and shyness, were more likely to watch cat videos.
• Approximately 25 percent of the cat videos they watched were ones they sought out; the rest were ones they happened upon.
• They were familiar with many so-called “celebrity cats” such as Lil Bub, Grumpy Cat, Nala Cat and Henri, Le Chat Noir.

Overall, the response to watching cat videos online was mostly positive.

“Even if they are watching cat videos on YouTube to procrastinate or while they should be working, the emotional pay-off may actually help people take on tough tasks afterward,” Myrick said.

The results also suggest that future work might explore how online cat videos could be used as a form of low-cost pet therapy, according to Myrick.

For each participant who took the survey, Myrick donated 10 cents to Lil Bub’s Big Fund for the ASPCA, raising nearly $700.

Sources: Indiana University and Lil Bub’s YouTube channel