News: Puppies and kittens may make you better at your job

Ever find yourself getting sidetracked at work where instead of typing up that proposal due tomorrow, you’re watching YouTube videos of adorable kittens? Turns out that may not be a bad thing, and it could actually improve your work performance’at least that’s what you should tell your boss.

New research from Hiroshima University has found that looking at cute images (such as puppies, kittens and babies) could increase accuracy on agility tasks.

The experiment involved 48 college students who were asked to play a Japanese version of the game Operation. The students were then split into two groups, with one group being shown images of puppies and kittens, and the second group being shown images of adult cats and dogs. Afterward, both groups played another round of Operation. The students who saw images of puppies and kittens (perceived as being cuter than the adult animals) actually improved in the second round of Operation by 44 percent.

According to the study’s authors, "Kawaii (the Japanese word for cute) things not only make us happier, but also affect our behaviour," and "not only improves fine motor skills but also increases perceptual carefulness."

Now, go ahead, check out the adorable video below!

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