Petting Dogs Can Calm Your Mind How Does It Help?

Being around dogs has been linked to feelings of happiness and well-being. Whether it be playing with them or simply petting them, being with dogs has been known to improve one’s mood. But according to a recent scientific study, being with dogs, specifically petting them, might have more of an effect than just making you feel good.

This research appeared in the journal Biological Psychology and looked at the effects of physical contact with dogs on the physiological stress reaction of humans. Scientists from the University of Innsbruck, in Austria, researched the relationship between interaction with dogs and psychological health.

How Researchers Conducted the Study

In a study led by first author Vanessa Kaufmann, 64 dog-owning adults and their dogs were used. The dogs were all healthy and aged two years or older.

The participants included 51 women and 13 men, with an average age of 34.1 years.

Participants completed stressful tasks. After the first stressful task, participants were put into different groups. Half were able to interact with their dogs during their break whilst the other half were not allowed to interact.

Researchers then observed how participants reacted to another stressful situation.

Petting a Dog Does Not Immediately Remove Stress

Some of the interesting findings were that pets didn’t make the stress go away right away.

Those who were able to stroke their dogs didn’t necessarily recover faster from the original stress inducing task and weren’t made to feel entirely relaxed right away.

Therefore suggesting that dogs do not always induce the positive effects due to physical contact.

However, researchers found some more interesting findings about the way our body reacted to the stress.

How Petting Dogs May Help Protect Against Future Stress

Those who were allowed to stroke their dog during the break were more calm during the second stressful situation.

However, those who weren’t allowed to interact with their dog didn’t have this protection.

This suggests that interacting with a known dog may help the body be more prepared for future stressful situations.

Petting a dog may not just help reduce current stress but can provide a feeling of safety which will affect how your body reacts to future challenges.

Why Does Petting Dogs Help Manage Stress?

“This is something that our brains do all the time,” Dr Monica Berntsen, a consultant psychologist and neuropsychologist, told Newsweek.

Our brains are always trying to look for signals that tell us we’re safe. So patting a known dog might help us feel safe without us even thinking about it.

Some factors that may contribute to this feeling include:

• Gentle touch: Slow, rhythmic movements can create a comforting physical experience.

• Body warmth: The warmth of a familiar pet may provide a sense of comfort.

• Emotional connection: Being close to a trusted animal can create feelings of safety.

• Familiar presence: A calm dog can make stressful moments feel more manageable.

The Special Connection Between Dogs and Human Well-Being

The results show that human-canine relationships are more complex than you might think. Sitting with your dog, patting them and spending time with them can provide us with some much needed comfort and help with stress.

Whilst more research is required to truly understand these effects, it provides an interesting insight into how pets can impact our wellbeing.

Sometimes just spending a few minutes having a gentle interaction with a cherished dog can give us more than just a quick feeling of happiness but can help us feel calmer when we encounter the next stressful situation.

References Link: https://www.ndtv.com/feature/study-finds-how-petting-a-dog-changes-your-bodys-stress-response-12270386