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

INTRODUCTION

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.

METHODS

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).

RESULTS

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.

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