The Unexpected Science of Cats and Happiness

This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human. Pushkin. When I think about the stuff that brings people joy in the age of the internet, there's one unlikely source of happiness that seems to be everywhere. Even in the early days of the World Wide Web, cats have been there to make us laugh.

You might remember cracking up over Keyboard Cat or Grumpy Cat. And then there was a whole era of lolcats. But why do we love watching these furry creatures so much? Are cats actually doing something for our happiness? Yeah, watching cat videos boost people's move for sure. I think that's why cats are all over the internet. We love seeing cats. It brings us so much joy. This is Dr. Kristen Vitale. I'm a certified applied animal behaviorist and I work with the domestic cat, studying their behavior and social cognition. I've invited Kristen on the show today for two reasons. First, it's National Cat Day this week. And what better way to celebrate than by exploring the science of cats and happiness?

And second, well I've been having a bit of a personal dilemma lately. I've been wondering whether I should get a cat. You see, my family's been petless for a while now. And after years of talking about all the ways that animals can boost our well being,

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