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http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/10/study-stupid-photos-adorable-cats-actually-improve-productivityStudy: Stupid Photos of Adorable Cats Boost Workplace Productivity
By Asawin Suebsaeng| Mon Oct. 1, 2012 1:14 PM PDT
Scientists in Japan have found that LOLcats aren't the useless workplace distraction we all thought they were. Via Sarah Kliff:
- snip -
A team of researchers at Hiroshima University recently conducted a study where they showed university students pictures of baby animals before completing various tasks. What they found...was that those who saw the baby animal pictures did more productive work after seeing those photographseven more than those who saw a picture of an adult animal or a pleasant food.
The study, titled "The Power of Kawaii: Viewing Cute Images Promotes a Careful Behavior and Narrows Attentional Focus," was published September 26 in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE. Nearly 50 university students were charged with performing a simple task, under three conditions: After viewing pictures of adult cats and dogs, after viewing "pleasant" foods like steak and sushi, and after viewing images of kittens and puppies. Productivity and "correct trials" (charted above) were at their highest levels following the "awwwwww baby animal!" segment.
Researchers are floating a few theories on why this was the case, but one guess is that affection for babies inspires "tender treatments" and vigilance, which trickle down into other physical and mental activity. "If viewing cute things makes the viewer more attentive," researchers wrote, "the performance of a non-motor perceptual task would also be improved."
So if you're at your work station, staring at this for a while might help you:
MORE AT LINK[p]
TDale313
(7,820 posts)Aww to the kitteh. Too cute.
ErikJ
(6,335 posts)I've never seen anything so ugly!!
silverweb
(16,402 posts)[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Does anyone doubt that people in a good mood are better workers?
Still, nice to see it officially confirmed.
cali
(114,904 posts)And ferrets.
silverweb
(16,402 posts)[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]As opposed to adult animals and yummy foods. They think something about the baby animals makes us more attentive and careful.
Interesting. And a good excuse to clutter our desktops with LOLcats... or pups, or duckies, or ferrets, or hedgehogs.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Forget the naked mole rats at your peril.
silverweb
(16,402 posts)[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]That's so ugly it's cute! lol
flamingdem
(39,328 posts)Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)Less stress at work = more productivity.
Here's another equation.
If more productivity = more pay, then work = less stress!
Kurovski
(34,655 posts)That article was written by a cat! Asawin Suebsaeng is breed related to the Persian Blue Point.
longship
(40,416 posts)Just kidding.
Hope this isn't a scam, as one poster suggested. It might not matter though. I imagine this will be e-mailed to bosses worldwide, and I hope it is.
Gotta love cute puppies and kittens.
Kurovski
(34,655 posts)For you see, I'm also kidding. Unfortunately I have a life-threatening allergy to the sarcasm smilie.
longship
(40,416 posts)Kurovski
(34,655 posts)But yes, nematodes must be eighteen.
PossumSqueezins
(184 posts)Make me think of slimey Republicans and my productivity plummets.
Glimmer of Hope
(5,823 posts)It gets me through the day.
Kurovski
(34,655 posts)Maybe it's all about the team ?
Schema Thing
(10,283 posts)Hissyspit
(45,788 posts)felix_numinous
(5,198 posts)--they would likely save the world as we know it.