• Home
  • How we take action
  • News
  • About
  • Contact
Menu
  • Home
  • How we take action
  • News
  • About
  • Contact
Donate now
  • How we take action
  • Testimonials
  • News
  • About
  • Contact
  • Donate
Menu
  • How we take action
  • Testimonials
  • News
  • About
  • Contact
  • Donate

Watching Baby Animal Videos Is Good for Your Health – And Science Confirms It

  • October 14, 2020
  • News

Research has confirmed what we’ve known all along – watching baby animals do what baby animals do best – being adorably cute – is good for the soul.

A study conducted by the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom (UK), in partnership with Western Australia Tourism, has found evidence to suggest that watching cute animals may contribute to a reduction in stress and anxiety. Just 30 minutes of cuteness overload affects blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety – all in a good way.

Why do we love baby animals so much? Because just like human babies, baby animals are curious, clumsy, and playful.

One just needs to look into the doe eyes of a baby orangutan to feel all warm and fuzzy inside and trigger the ‘awww’ response.

The great news is that it doesn’t matter what baby animal it is either. Even those creatures who make pretty daunting adults pluck heartstrings when they’re little – think of a baby hippo, a grizzly bear, and even a blobfish, which, by the way, looks surprisingly sweet when born.

While the reason we love baby animals is still not clear, a few theories exist. The biggest is that baby animals remind us of human infants, whom we are meant to protect, love, and cherish.

In 1943, Austrian ethologist and zoologist Konrad Lorenz was the first to suggest that all infants have certain features in common that are universally appealing. They include a large head relative to the body, chubby cheeks, a high forehead, a small nose and mouth, and rounder bodies. We simply can’t help but gravitate towards anything that fits this cute blueprint, described by Lorenz as the ‘baby schema’ – even a baby elephant which has very little in common with human babies physically but has a clumsy swagger that perhaps reminds us of a toddler who’s learning how to walk.

Another theory states that our empathy towards baby animals allows us to better interact and connect with them. Research published in 2009 by German and American scientists found that both women and men seem to have an internal trigger that not only zooms in on cuteness but also prompts us to want to look after the creature in question – which suggests this is an evolutionary adaptation.

By supporting our work, you are reaching out with caring hands to stop animal abuse

Please donate now
Stay up to date

Stay up to date

Share on facebook
Share on google
Share on twitter
Share on whatsapp

Man’s Best Friend Is Saving Lives – No Matter The Weather!

Meet Flo – an energetic and confident four-year-old Border Collie who has a knack for saving lives. Flo is a member of Mountain Rescue Search

18 January 2021

Network For Animals Slams Denmark’s Rushed COVID-19 Mink Massacre

An apology by Denmark’s Government is little comfort to animal lovers worldwide after 15 million mink were mercilessly slaughtered on farms across the country. Meanwhile,

10 December 2020

Albatross Beak Mutilation In Atlantic: Fishermen Cut The Bills Off Live Seabirds

Endangered seabirds, including live albatrosses and petrels, are being killed in brutal circumstances by having their bills hacked off by fishermen in three South American

7 December 2020

Caracals Under Seize From Poachers Infiltrating Noordhoek Wetlands

Caracals living in Noordhoek wetlands are under siege from all sides, facing considerable threats to their survival. This nocturnal and elusive wild cat native to

4 December 2020

Help us fight cruelty to animals around the world

Click here to donate

Network for Animals

Network for Animals is a non-government, international animal welfare organisation crusading for animals around the world.

© Network for Animals
Privacy policy

Campaigns

Cats In Crisis Disaster Relief Dogs In Distress Elephants Hunting with Hounds Organized Horse Fighting Seal Hunt Worldwide Donkey Crisis

Stay up to date

Receive our regular emails about our campaigns for animals around the world.

Sign up

Stay up to date with our campaigns

Contact us

+1 727 599 8148
+44 (0)20 8471 7666
info@networkforanimals.org

Facebook-f
Twitter
Youtube
Instagram
Linkedin

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

I agree