If you own an animal—or have met one in the wild, for that matter—you know just how weird they can act sometimes. Be it a dog or a raccoon, they never cease to amaze people by things they steal or the territories they’re brave enough to invade; the cat’s food bowl, for instance.
Birds, too, can act somewhat bizarre at times, as a number of them have been spotted attacking people or trying to snatch a harmless capybara, for example. Not to mention the feline representatives of the animal kingdom…
People have surely witnessed plenty of animals acting weird, and, luckily for us, some have even managed to get their suspicious activities on camera. And that’s how they end up on the ‘Animals Going Goblin Mode’ X account.
Started just a couple of years ago, in April of 2022, the ‘Animals Going Goblin Mode’ account has already amassed over 1.3 million followers, which is not that difficult to believe considering how popular animal content is nowadays.
In addition to uploading animal-related content on their personal accounts, people have started to create separate accounts for their critters, too, consequently expanding the number of sources of pictures of grumpy cats and videos of dogs stomping their feet. Data suggests that roughly one-third of Americans have a separate social media account for their critter, which is all the better for the rest of us, I’d say.
Half of the people who create social media accounts for their pets reportedly admit that the latter receive more attention online than they do themselves. But a similar number of humans say that they care for the likes from their pet posts more than the likes for those of their own, which calls for an assumption that people probably don’t mind the adorable creatures getting more praise and attention than they do.
There is arguably no one reason why animal content is so popular online; but bearing in mind the numerous benefits owning a pet brings, it makes sense that looking at them through a screen can be somewhat comforting, too.
Author and integrative mental health specialist Dr. Louise B. Miller pointed out that interacting with animals can have a positive effect on our brain, consequently making us feel better both mentally and physically.
“Petting, holding, or cuddling an animal increases the levels of serotonin and dopamine in our bodies, which are feel-good, calming brain chemicals,” she wrote in Psychology Today. “As a result of these positive chemical changes, our feelings of depression and loneliness may be reduced while our self-esteem and happiness may increase.”
The expert pointed out that in addition to the better mood animals put us in, there are also physical benefits, such as reduced blood pressure, slowed heart rate, and decreased levels of the stress hormone, too much of which can lead to heart problems.
According to Dr. Miller, owning a dog is especially therapeutic. In addition to the aforementioned benefits interacting with any animal brings, dogs get their owners out of the house on a daily basis, whether they like it or not. This results in not only increased physical activity—which we all know is good for us, despite how lazy we often feel to take part in it—but in minimized isolation, too, and maybe even a conversation or two with fellow dog walkers met along the way.
Research from Sky Mobile found that animal content is the most smile-inducing social media content there is. That means that whenever you see someone smiling at their phone, chances are it’s a cat video rather than a message from a special someone.
According to Sky Mobile, nearly one-third of Brits turn to social media seeking to lift up their spirits, and animal videos and memes seem to work best, followed by random acts of kindness caught on camera.
Sky Mobile also found that more than half of British adults use their smartphones to seek out positive content and just shy of half say that viewing positive and inspiring stories increases their mood for the day.
“What we consume online impacts how we feel,” an expert on positive psychology and board member at Action for Happiness, Vanessa King, told Sky Mobile. “Even small positive mood boosts can make a difference. And these don’t just feel good, science shows these can add up – for example helping us be more open to others, more flexible in our thinking, better at creative problem solving.”