Structured puppy video viewing improves physiological and psychological stress responses in office workers

Psychological stress impairs both mental health and physiological function, making it a major occupational health risk for office workers. Although non-pharmacological emotional interventions have gained attention, scientific evidence for structured animal-based video content remains scarce. This study investigated whether structured puppy video viewing improves stress responses and compared outcomes between normal blood pressure (BP) and elevated BP office workers.

Sixty-six participants (36 for normal BP, 30 for elevated BP) took part in a non-randomized pre-post intervention, viewing structured puppy videos for 15 min. Systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP) and pulse rate were measured as physiological outcomes; psychological outcomes were assessed with the 20-item State Anxiety subscale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S) and with the 30-item the Korean Profile of Mood States-Brief (K-POMS-B), summarized as Total Mood Disturbance (TMD).

In normal BP group, SBP decreased by 3.16 mmHg (p = 0.002), pulse rate by 2.76 bpm (p < 0.001), STAI-S by 6.64 points (p < 0.001), and TMD by 7.92 points (p < 0.001) after viewing the video. In the elevated BP group, there were significant reductions in SBP (Δ6.65 mmHg), DBP (Δ4.93 mmHg), pulse rate (Δ4.12 bpm), and STAI-S (Δ9.43 points) (with all p < 0.001), alongside a TMD reduction of 11.77 points (p < 0.001). When comparing between normal and elevated BP groups, SBP and DBP were decreased more in the elevated BP participants (p < 0.049, and p < 0.001, respectively). Overall, structured puppy video viewing significantly alleviated both physiological and psychological stress.

These findings suggest its potential as a scalable, non-pharmacological approach to support workplace stress management.