Keep Photos In Front of You!

None of us really understand the mysterious ways that our brains work. It might actually be operating on autopilot much of the time and research does suggest that people may half of the time be mentally “checked out” and not focused on the present moment, the world around them or a special task, but instead on their own thoughts.

This mental state generally makes us unhappy because our minds turn to unsettling thoughts, past arguments, worries or other stresses. These are not current happenings but do color our world if we let them. You might even associate your partner with either good or bad feelings.

Lead study author and Florida State psychology professor James McNulty and colleagues examined if altering affective associations involving a relationship partner may change how satisfied a spouse is with their relationship. In a relationship, if you have a lot of great experiences with your partner, you learn to associate your partner with those experiences and then feel good when you see that partner.

Studies have also shown that when puppy photos are viewed, the result is an increase of loving feelings. Especially when viewed by the elderly. This causes many to come out of their depression and loneliness when having those loving feelings they have experienced at viewing those cute little puppy photos.

Even taking a photo of your beloved pet and posting it at your workstation can benefit many people. This might give you a loving and relaxed feeling throughout the day that might carry over to your co-workers and superiors. To me, this would make the day go a lot faster. Many bring photos of their children or grandchildren that give the same result as that of a loving pet.

Research suggests that people who gazed at photographs of cute puppies and kittens actually did perform better at work than those who looked at images of adult animals. They believe that the pictures of baby animals can improve your concentration by a tenth. Also, becoming more focused is brought on by a cuteness-triggered positive emotion that is associated with taking motivation from anything that gives you happiness, pleasure or joy.

The findings are based on three groups of studies; one that looked at images of baby animals, one that looked at adult animals and another that was shown pictures of tasty foods. Then they were asked to take part in exercises testing their concentration. The group looking at puppies and kittens had improved performance by an average of 10%. Those viewing adult animals had an increase of 5% and images of food had little effect on the 3rd group. They believe this shows that viewing cute things improved subsequent performance in tasks that require behavioral carefulness by narrowing the breadth of attentional focus.

Objects are made more user-friendly and approachable and also induce careful behavioral tendencies in the users, which is beneficial in specific situations like driving and office work. So keep those photos in front of you and make your day fly by!

Dr Fredda Branyon