As it Turns Out, Watching Planet Earth is Good For Your Health

Lots of awesome things in life are bad for us. Beer is bad for you, pizza is bad for you, and, at least according to my mother, watching too much TV is bad for you. It seems, however, that that doesn’t apply to all TV. While watching the news for eight hours every day may be stress-inducing, watching nature documentaries like Planet Earth can have the exact opposite effect.

BBC Earth released the results of a study this week that examined 7,500 people from around the world. Participants were shown either a clip from Planet Earth II, a popular drama, a news clip, or a control video. Those who were shown one of the clips from Planet Earth II  experienced “significant increases in feelings of awe, contentedness, joy, amusement and curiosity” as well as reduced feelings of “tiredness, anger, and stress.”

So, not that you needed another reason to watch the BBC’s incredible series, but now you have one. It literally makes you healthier.

[images via screengrab]

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