The Washington Post had to go and tell the world my secret to productivity all of these years. My whole life, I’ve been accomplishing a lot at a fast pace. When people inquire about how I get so much done, I just chalk it up to my natural impatience, and craving to just get it done and over with already. I’ve left out my secret weapon (though anyone who reads this may have already guessed): cute animals. I have a calendar with them on it, and follow a couple blogs that update their posts daily. I find it improves my day and my mood to take a couple minutes to look at a soft, adorable, baby creature, and now research confirms that it improves my productivity too (who knew?).

A study conducted by a research team at Hiroshima University had students look at images of baby animals before attempting a variety of tasks. In comparison with students who viewed a picture of an adult animal or a pleasing food, the baby animal group outperformed. Productivity was better for both genders, across all image viewing groups. What causes this effect you might ask? Well, as of now, researchers are not exactly sure, but they have a few theories. First, seeing baby animals invokes reflexes of communicating with or caring for baby animals. This can lead to increased vigilance, slower, more methodical movements, and increased attentiveness to protect against potential threats. These results combined = better productivity.

So, there you have it, a daily excuse to check out my collection of cute things here, or to peruse others here and here and here and here. You’re welcome.