TY - JOUR
T1 - The Effects of Viewing Cute Pictures on Performance During a Basketball Free-Throw Task
AU - Yoshikawa, Naoki
AU - Masaki, Hiroaki
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by JSPS KAKENHI (Grant Number 17H02139 and 17K20017) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and Waseda University Grants for Special Research Projects (2020R-073 and 2020C-395).
Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright © 2021 Yoshikawa and Masaki.
PY - 2021/4/26
Y1 - 2021/4/26
N2 - Previous studies have shown that viewing cute pictures leads to performance improvement in a subsequent fine motor task. We examined the beneficial effects of viewing cute pictures in a more complex sporting skill (i.e., basketball free throws) by comparing three conditions (viewing baby animal pictures, adult animal pictures, and no pictures) and two tests (no-pressure and pressure). The participants, all of whom were college basketball players, performed 16 free throws in each condition. In the no-pressure test, male participants improved performance after viewing pictures of baby animals but not after adult animals and no pictures. In the pressure test, no significant improvement was observed. For female participants, the cuteness-viewing effect was not observed in both tests. The results suggest that viewing cute pictures may improve performance during basketball free throws in a low-pressure situation by narrowing the breadth of attentional focus and inducing approach motivation and caregiving behaviors.
AB - Previous studies have shown that viewing cute pictures leads to performance improvement in a subsequent fine motor task. We examined the beneficial effects of viewing cute pictures in a more complex sporting skill (i.e., basketball free throws) by comparing three conditions (viewing baby animal pictures, adult animal pictures, and no pictures) and two tests (no-pressure and pressure). The participants, all of whom were college basketball players, performed 16 free throws in each condition. In the no-pressure test, male participants improved performance after viewing pictures of baby animals but not after adult animals and no pictures. In the pressure test, no significant improvement was observed. For female participants, the cuteness-viewing effect was not observed in both tests. The results suggest that viewing cute pictures may improve performance during basketball free throws in a low-pressure situation by narrowing the breadth of attentional focus and inducing approach motivation and caregiving behaviors.
KW - Kawaii
KW - basketball free-throw
KW - choking under pressure
KW - clutch
KW - cuteness-viewing effect
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85105547434&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.610817
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.610817
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85105547434
SN - 1664-1078
VL - 12
JO - Frontiers in Psychology
JF - Frontiers in Psychology
M1 - 610817
ER -