You feel tense today ? Take a few minutes to watch a TV report on the life of sloths and other wild animals. Here is the natural prescription issued by American researchers. The team from the University of California and the University of Berkeley, USA, worked in collaboration with the BBC Worldwide Global Insight Team on the effect of documentaries on animals in their natural environment on the well- be spectators. 7,500 participants from the UK, USA, Singapore, India, Australia and South Africa took part in the game.
Some watched a few minutes of animal documentary while others watched extracts from drama series or even an educational video sequence. A webcam had recorded their reactions and “micro facial expressions” as they watched the various clips. The objective was to assess the level of emotions such as anger, surprise, astonishment, fear, anger or disgust. The volunteers were then questioned about their feelings and their level of stress after this viewing.
Videos of wild and domestic animals, an anti-depression
Verdict, viewers of animal documentaries showed the greatest drop in stress levels as well as an increase in positive emotions such as joy, fun or curiosity. The volunteers aged 16 to 24 are the ones who have been the most permeable to these feelings of well-being in the face of these animal documentaries.
This isn’t the first time that animal videos have been recommended to boost morale. Cat images have already proven their worth for fight stress and negative emotions. On the other hand, when they are watched during working hours, they harm employee productivity.
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