We have previously established a novel stress model in which mice were exposed to emotional stress by witnessing socially defeated conspecifics in the social defeat stress (SDS) paradigm. In the present study, we attempted to establish a simpler and more standardized stress model by exposing male C57BL/6J mice to a video-recorded scene of the SDS. As a result, a single exposure to the video for 10 min increased plasma corticosterone levels in the mice. This physiological change was suppressed by blocking the visual information. Furthermore, there were increased numbers of c-Fos-positive neurons in the various brain regions that are associated with the negative valence system. When mice were exposed to the SDS video for 10 consecutive days, the mice had lower gains in body weight. Interestingly, an apparent reduction in reward sensitivity in the sucrose preference test was observed. Reduced reward sensitivity in mice reflects anhedonia, which is a serious symptom of depression. Using video exposure, we can standardize the intensity of the stress. In addition, the number of animals necessary for SDS experiments could be minimized. The video SDS model established in this study might be useful for screening effective candidate molecules for stress-related disorders with greater reproducibility, especially when targeting anhedonia.