It can make it clear what happened after user interaction. Was an article added to the list during a refresh? Did the correct item actually go away after delet

It can make it clear what happened after user interaction. Was an article added to the list during a refresh? Did the correct item actually go away after deleting it? It's easy to miss updates without animations. Even if you don't miss the update an animation will provide an additional confirmation that the correct thing happened. On touch devices there's also the fact that animations mimic input gestures. Imagine swipe-to-delete without the item actually moving, that would be super awkward to use... Of course, like anything, it is possible to mis-/overuse.