Did you know that watching adorable cats bake biscuits or dogs bite running water for 30 minutes a day can reduce blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety? This is great news for anyone who doesn’t have a pet but desperately needs to reap the benefits of having one.
For those out there, Bored Panda has compiled a list of the most uplifting animals that are guaranteed to put that smile back on your face. Scroll down to find them, and enjoy grinning so much that your cheeks hurt. Or try to fight the urge to adopt an adorable, furry fella.
#1 View Of Dogs Getting Their Picture Taken Mid-Walk And The POV Of Their Dog Walker
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#2 How I Met My Human
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#3 Tucked In Safe With Mama
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If you’re wondering how the benefits of looking at animal pictures were revealed, it’s the achievement of a dedicated research group from the University of Leeds in the UK partnered with Australia Tourism.
The study was carried out by showing participants a 30-minute montage of cute furry critters, created by one of the team’s members, associate professor Dr. Andrea Utley. “There were some kittens, there were puppies, there were baby gorillas. There were quokkas. You know – the usual stuff that you would expect,” Utley told CNN.
#4 4 Years Ago I Tried To End My Own Life. This Little Guy Is One Of The Things That Saved My Life. Life Can Be Hard, But There Are So Many Beautiful Things To Experience
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#5 Dad's Pride
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#6 Gus 100% Believes Grammy’s Visits Are For Him. He’s Not Wrong
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The latter, the quokka, is an adorable creature found in Western Australia and is often called the happiest animal in the world. It’s a relative of kangaroos and wallabies. Similarly to their cousins, they move around by hoping and carrying children in their little pouches.
#7 My Dog Is Terrified Of Thunderstorms But Decided To Protect My Twin Daughters From The Storm Anyway
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#8 This Service Dog Got A Graduation Picture Next To His Owner
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#9 Rozi The Cheetah And Her Companion Pup Daisy Have Grown Up Together
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It’s rare to see this animal without a smile. Even though they’re not actually grinning, it’s just the shape of their mouth, their friendly personalities have earned them a joyous reputation. Interestingly, their happy-face selfies can be found all over social media under the hashtag #quokkaspiration. There are over 20,000 of them on Instagram.
#10 Thankfully, I Saved This Little Guy From My Lawnmower Today
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#11 Cerberus At The Pet Store
Image credits: CleetisMcgee
#12 It’s Merle’s Favorite Time Of The Year, Breeding Time For Baby Ducks And Geese. He Loves All His Fluffy Babies And Always Is Very Careful To Look Out For Birds Of Prey
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Quokka’s happiest animal status has made them quite the celebrities on social media. Many people specifically travel to Rottnest Island, where they reside, just to take a picture with them. While they’re doing this, they’re also participating in a good cause—not only getting a photo out of it. The island is reinvesting the funds that come from increased tourism in research for the animal’s conservation.
#13 Customer's Cat While I Was Replacing A Faucet And A Drain
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#14 I’m So Proud Of Them For This
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#15 Bun Jovi, The Rabbit, And His Pupper, Abel, Are Best Friends
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But we digress. The previously mentioned study involved 19 participants who were intentionally invited during the winter exams, a time when stress levels were at an all-time high. In each of the subjects, the researchers saw blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety go down within 30 minutes of watching the video.
#16 Pup Living His Best Life
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#17 When Dinner Is 7 PM And It’s Already 7:01 PM
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#18 Took My Puppy Through The Wendy's Drive Thru
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“I was quite pleasantly surprised that during the session, every single measure for every single participant dropped some – heart rate reduced, blood pressure reduced,” Utley said. “When they left, they filled the questionnaire in again and indicated that they were feeling less anxious.”
#19 The Stray Cat I’m Feeding Has Made Friends With A Hedgehog
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#20 After Dad Tells Sydney How Pretty She Is For A 13-Year-Old
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#21 Met Some Friendly Black Sheep Today. They Ran Right Up To Greet Me
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This effect animals have on us can be explained by the concept of “baby schema.” It says that humans evolved to be drawn towards creatures with big heads, large eyes, chubby cheeks, and big foreheads because they had to care for babies. When we see such traits in something, it activates our paternal instincts that get ready for a cuddle, even if it’s a baby tiger you’re looking at.
#22 Gave My Boy Mike A Middle Part
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#23 A Fox Kit I Photographed
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#24 He's In Love, She's Not Quite Sure Yet
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So if you ever hesitate about bombing friends with adorable animal pictures and videos, don't worry; their mental and physical health will thank you! And in case you need fresh material to share with them, Bored Panda’s collection is here to help. Just check out this article about happy rescued beavers or dogs in lavender fields.
#25 The Foster Kitties Are Growing So Fast With The Love Of Their Dog-Father
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#26 My Cat Louie Was Messing Around With Toilet Paper And I Decided To Tie A Loose "Bow" Around His Neck To See What It Looked Like. It's Been An Hour. He Absolutely Refuses To Let Me Remove It
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#27 I Know Retrievers Love The Mud, But Seriously?
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#28 You Might Find It Hard To Believe, But This Cat Is My Colleague. I Work At A Pet Supply Company, And Mr. Cat Is The Exclusive Model For Our Product Promotional Images
He also takes on the responsibility of supervising our work and keeping an eye on us when we use the restroom. His name is Yuki.
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#29 My Son Is Three Days Old Today, Brought Him Home Yesterday. Our Dog Zuko Has Watched Over Him And Hasn't Let Him Out Of His Sight Since
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#30 Panda Used To Be Very Shy, But Now She Loves To Get Attention
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#31 My German Shepherd And The Stray Puppy I Was Afraid He Wouldn’t Get Along With
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#32 Went To The Vet Today, 10/10 Customer Service
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#33 Friendly Dog Follows Google Maps Snapper And Shows Up In Every Street View Shot
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#34 My Rat
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#35 Our Dog And Cats Have Their Own Pet Fish
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#36 My Horse Sitting Down
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#37 My 10-Year-Old Lab Is The Ultimate Nanny
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#38 There Is Nothing Like Watching Your Relatives On TV
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#39 My Sister's Cats Sleep With Heart Tails
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#40 First Day Home And My Little Furball Already Trusts Me Enough To Doze Off In The Safety Of My Hands. Pure Bliss
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#41 My Uncle Cut Holes In His Fence So That His Dog Could See Out
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#42 Caution: Lethal Cutie
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#43 Enjoy This Sweet Girl's Content Face After Getting Her Coat Brushed
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#44 Squirrel Visits Almost Every Day
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#45 Every Time My Kid Takes A Shower
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#46 My Girlfriend's Twin Cats
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#47 These Two Spoon All Day, Every Day
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#48 My New Kitten And My Ferret Became Instant BFFs (They Are Always Supervised When Together)
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#49 This Isn’t My Cat, But She Comes By For Pats, Cat Yogurt, And Laser Pointers. She’s Very Skittish, And It Took Months For Her To Warm Up To Me
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#50 My Cats Queue Politely Behind Each Other For Their Turn At The Food Dish
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