Insomnia, spinning ideas, morale at half mast in the face of the news: many evenings end heavier than they started. We know the classic remedies to find a smile again, from the gratitude journal to jogging which increases oxytocin and serotonin. It remains a fairly unexpected surprise for a public who already thinks they are stuffed with screens.
A major international study carried out in 2017 by BBC Worldwide and the University of California, Berkeley, tested the impact of several types of TV programs on our mood. Verdict: a certain TV program systematically increases positive emotions and lowers inner tension. This specific program is hidden in the middle of your TV schedule.
Animal documentaries: the TV program that boosts happiness
The researchers recruited around 7,500 people in six countries (US, UK, India, Singapore, South Africa, Australia), and analyzed more than 150 scientific studies exploring the link between contact with nature and happiness and well-being. Each participant evaluated 14 families of emotions before and after different extracts: popular drama, television news, neutral clip and sequences of
Planet Earth IIfamous series of animal documentaries. A start-up, Crowd Emotion, also analyzed their facial micro-expressions.
Compared to other content, filmed nature comes out on top. Participants described more wonder, joy, curiosity, interest, but also satisfaction, relaxation and inner peace, while nervousness,
stressfear, anger, irritability or fatigue decreased significantly. According to Dacher Keltner, co-author of the study, “Brief exposures to Planet Earth II content spark greater wonder, positive emotions and a sense of well-being among people in six countries” he told BBC Earth.
Why filmed nature has such an impact on the brain
Watching wild animals in their environment, even via a screen, partly recreates our connection to nature, this “biophilia” dear to psychologists. The brain interprets these landscapes as safe and fascinating, which promotes the production ofpositive emotions associated with
happiness. “The changes in emotion revealed by the BBC study following viewing this powerful natural history series are significant, because we know that wonder and contentment are the foundations of human happiness. If people experience feelings of awe, they are more likely to demonstrate empathetic and charitable behaviors and are more able to manage stress“, underlines Dacher Keltner, professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
The study also shows that certain categories gain even more. Women record greater emotional variations than men. 16-24 year olds leave with the highest scoresanxietyfear and fatigue, and see these feelings drop after viewing. “The results also show that young people are very stressed and that watching videos about the natural world reduces their stress“, continues Dacher Keltner.
How to integrate this TV program into your routine
Concretely, it is enough to launch an episode of Planet Earth IIa nature documentary on France 5, Arte or a streaming platform, and to give yourself 10 to 20 minutes of real attention: correct sound, soft lighting, smartphone placed. This ritual does not replace therapy or a walk in the forest, but it can become a simple support on evenings when everything seems too heavy. The next time your morale sags, the trigger may also be on your remote control.