10 ‘Blessed Images’ That May Turn Your Day Around For The Better

We all have our occasional bad days when we need a good pick-me-up. And if you’re a longtime Pictolic reader, you know that adorable animal photos are a source of instant good vibes. 

Today, we’re back with more photos that tug on the heartstrings in the best way possible. These wholesome pictures are from the Blessed Images Facebook group, where over 700,000 members share snapshots of furry creatures being their cute selves. 

As always, we’ve picked the most endearing ones to put a smile on your face. Hopefully, this list can make your day better.

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Ever wondered why looking at pet photos makes you feel good all of a sudden? Research has shown that doing so improves your well-being. 

To test this, University of Maryland professor Dr. Jennifer Golbeck had 1,880 participants take the Patient Evaluation of Emotional Comfort Experienced (PEECE) survey. It’s a 12-item questionnaire that measures a person’s well-being. 

Each statement begins with “I feel,” followed by certain aspects that determine a person’s mood, whether it’s relaxed, in control, energized, or informed. Participants then rate each feeling on a scale of 1 to 5 (lowest to highest).

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Dr. Golbeck then divided the participants into two groups. One spent five minutes looking at adorable dog pictures. The other group spent the same amount of time reading tweets from US President Donald Trump. 

As Dr. Golbeck revealed in an article for Psychology Today, those who read Trump’s tweets showed a decline in their well-being score, from 3.27 before reading to 2.08 after. Conversely, those who looked at dog photos felt an improvement from 3.27 to 3.81.

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But what exactly is it about photos of adorable animals that make us feel better? As science journalist Dana Smith, PhD, points out in an article for Medium, it activates both the emotion and reward circuits. This is especially true if you’re looking at photos of your pets. 

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