
Videos and images of cats, dogs and other animals make up the most viewed content on the web. Science proves it: looking at these images can actually boost productivity, motivation, focus, and lift mood.
Real-life interactions are even more powerful. Pets provide social and emotional support, boost self-esteem, conscientiousness and make us happy.

We all could use a little love...
Carri Westgarth, Robert Christley, Garry Marvin, Elizabeth Perkins. I Walk My Dog Because It Makes Me Happy: A Qualitative Study to Understand Why Dogs Motivate Walking and Improved Health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2017; 14 (8): 936 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14080936
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 Sep 26;7(9):e46362. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0046362
McConnell AR, Brown CM, Shoda TM, Stayton LE, Martin CE. Friends with benefits: on the positive consequences of pet ownership. Journal of personality and social psychology. 2011 Dec;101(6):1239. DOI: 10.1037/a0024506
Kamioka H, Okada S, Tsutani K, Park H, Okuizumi H, Handa S, Oshio T, Park SJ, Kitayuguchi J, Abe T, Honda T. Effectiveness of animal-assisted therapy: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Complementary therapies in medicine. 2014 Apr 30;22(2):371-90. DOI:
10.1016/j.ctim.2013.12.016