Why Cute Cat Videos Are Actually Good For Your Health

If you find yourself staring at your computer screen watching endless adorable cat videos online, don't worry - you're not wasting time. In fact, you may actually be doing yourself a favor. A new study out of Indiana University shows that watching cute videos of cats helps boost mood, reduce anxiety and even increase productivity.

"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," explained professor Jessica Gall Myrick in a press release on Tuesday.

She recorded the viewing patterns and reactions of study participants and discovered that after people watched cat videos, "they were more energetic and felt more positive" and had "fewer negative emotions" than before they watched the cute vids.

Myrick also found that when participants took breaks from work or studying to enjoy the videos, "the pleasure they got from watching cat videos outweighed any guilt they felt about procrastinating."

Basically, science just proved what we all already know - watching cat videos is super fun and definitely makes your day better. Myrick hopes that her findings can eventually help find a use for cat videos as "a form of low-cost pet therapy."

But until you can get an official prescription for heavy doses of cute, keep sharing those adorable videos and help spread some joy.