Study Reveals Hidden Power of Sharing Cute Animal Pics
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
From clumsy puppies to grinning chimps, adorable animal content is fantastically popular on social media. But while these charming snaps are a source of instant joy for viewers, it turns out that their impact goes beyond just entertainment.
A study from Concordia University has concluded that sharing cute animal pictures online strengthens digital connections, reinforcing bonds both within social groups and online communities.
The researchers compare the act of sharing animal content on social media to "pebbling," a behavior often observed in penguins to show that they care about each other.
The penguins offer pebbles, which serve as nesting material in the barren Antarctic, to their chosen mates as a way to acknowledge their relationship and affirm their commitment to each other.
A stock image shows a person taking a picture of a stray cat with a digital camera, as the animal poses in front of them.
A stock image shows a person taking a picture of a stray cat with a digital camera, as the animal poses in front of them.
getty images
Sharing cute animal content with your friends and family serves a similar purpose, maintaining and nurturing relationships in a digital space.
After all, about 50 percent of global social media users do say that their main reason for being on social media is to keep in touch with their loved ones.
The study outlines a framework that explains the content's journey from creation to circulation. The first step is "indexicalization", the process of taking an image, gif or video of an animal, and adding an emotional cue or meaning to it, like a hashtag or a caption, to signify one's relationship with it.
Next comes re-indexicalization, when the content is shared and interacted with in what is dubbed a "techno-affective encounter". This adds new emotional layers to the media that create a shared understanding of its meaning exclusively within the group to whom it is shared.
The final step is decontextualization, when the content is stripped of personalized information and shaped into widely relatable content, like memes, to appeal to a broader audience.
"Our findings imply that companion animals' capacities as social lubricants traverse to digital space, thus facilitating interactions and reinforcing relationships as companion species content", the researchers wrote in their study.
Although this specific study only focuses on cute animal content, the researchers suggest that the same principles are likely to apply to other similar types of digital content, like food images or posts featuring funny kids.
Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about how we connect? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.
Reference
Shamayleh, G., & Arsel, Z. (2025). Digital Affective Encounters: The Relational Role of Content Circulation on Social Media. Journal of Consumer Research. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucaf023
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