If you’re reading this, then you are probably wondering what to do get the most stress relief with the less effort.  Simple — take time out every day for cuteness!  Think I’m being cute?  Not entirely.

In Japan, there is a robot harp seal called Paro that acts as therapy for those in need of relaxation to help them Find the inner strength to heal.  Paro goes to nursing homes and hospitals where therapy animals are not allowed for one reason or another.  Why was a harp seal selected and not some other baby animal?  Because robotic engineers voted them the cutest (yes — I was being cute in that last line).  Actually, a baby harp seal was used because an unfamiliar animal would not have to live up to anyone’s expectations of how to behave.  Paro helps lessen stress, stabilize blood pressure and promote socialization.

Can You Handle The Cute? (Apologies to Chris Leavins — call me!)

We are instinctively programmed to focus on and respond to cuteness.  Looking at cute things triggers a pleasurable response in most people, which usually makes them automatically relax.  This is to reinforce our desire to protect our young.  If we did not have this instinct, our species probably wouldn’t have evolved beyond the reptile stage (no insults to reptiles were intended in that remark).   Think about why you were able to get away with as a little kid, because you were cute?  If it weren’t for cuteness, the cockroaches would’ve taken over by now.

Say you don’t have cute fuzzy baby animals where you live and your kids go way beyond the cute stage into junior high school.  Just look at some cute photos per day, like the ground squirrel here on this blog post.  You tried not to smile when you saw the critter, but couldn’t help smiling anyway, could you?  You probably even sighed involuntarily in a "Awww — wook at dat!"  reaction.  All of that helps to give you less stress.  Even if it’s only a temporary reaction, it still helps you lessen stress. 

Cuteness acts like an incredibly strong man, lifting the weight of your worries off of you for a while.  Eventually, you have to take the load back again, but after the break, you will probably find that you have a second wind and will be able to carry your load easier.

So, everybody chant their new mantra now:

"More Cute! Less Stress! More Cute! Less Stress!"

Hope this helps.

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