Do you ever have those days where you’ve got a ton on your plate… and you just can’t seem to focus?
Well, that happened to me last week. I had a big project that needed to be done quickly… but I just couldn’t seem to get it going.
So, to take my mind off of things a little, I decided to give myself a little “YouTube break.”
I did a quick search, and ended up on a video of a kitty getting tickled… and I couldn’t help but crack the biggest smile ever!
It was so cute — and it was just the refresher I needed.
After watching that little grey kitten, something just clicked — and I was able to fill out the spreadsheet I’d just been staring at before.
Now, I know it seems weird… distract yourself with something cute to make you focus?
But it turns out, there’s some pretty fascinating science behind it.
You see, researchers in Japan found that “kawaii” — a Japanese word for cute — could actually help you concentrate better.1
Researchers asked two groups to look at different sets of photos before completing a task. One group looked at photos of puppies and kittens, while the other viewed photos of dogs and cats…
(Sure, dogs and cats are cute — but in this study, the baby animals were measurably cuter.)
And wouldn’t you know…
The group that looked at the cute puppies and kittens actually performed their task better and with more care.
Researchers think it could be related to caregiving. After all, we humans want to take care of cute babies as carefully as possible.
So, for tasks that require a lot of concentration — like driving, following a recipe, or even finishing a spreadsheet at work… take a peek at something cute before you start.
You’ll love how easy it becomes to pay attention to the task at hand…
Plus a little dose of “cuteness” is sure to put a big smile on your face 🙂
Source:
1. Nittono H, Fukushima M, Yano A, Moriya H. The Power of Kawaii: Viewing Cute Images Promotes a Careful Behavior and Narrows Attentional Focus. PLoS ONE. 2012;7(9):e46362. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0046362.
