Washington — Having a stressful moment? Watching short inspirational videos may help.
Researchers from Northwestern University and the University of California, Santa Barbara surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. adults to assess their initial stress levels. Then, over the following four weeks, participants were randomly assigned to one of five groups. They were asked to either view an inspirational video, watch a comedy segment, follow a guided meditation, use mobile media or be part of the control group (to whom no media use instructions were given). Each activity lasted about five minutes a day for five days.
The researchers found that the inspirational video and meditation groups reported feeling significantly more hopeful during the intervention week compared with the control group. Those feelings also predicted lower stress levels a few days later and as much as 10 days after the intervention ended.
Although the comedy videos made the participants laugh and the mobile media provided entertainment, those feelings had no positive impact on later stress levels.
“What we found is that even a few minutes of watching content that makes people feel hopeful can put a dent in that stress,” lead study author Robin Nabi, a professor at UC Santa Barbara, said in a press release. “It’s a short, simple and even enjoyable break – and it can make a meaningful difference in helping people feel more optimistic and able to handle what’s in front of them.”
She added, “This is not to say this sort of media consumption should replace meditation or other well-supported strategies to deal with stress. But rather, this is one more tool we can add to our toolbox to handle the stress that so many of us feel.”
The study was published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media.
