For your own health and that of your pet, hug your dog. A new study conducted in South Korea found that spending quality time with a dog reduces stress and increases the power of brain waves associated with relaxation and concentration.
Dogs were domesticated from wolves more than 30,000 years ago, and throughout history they have helped humans with a variety of tasks, including hunting, labor, herding, and security. Dogs can communicate with humans, have been faithful friends of humans, and have shared their emotions with them more than competent assistants.
Animal-assisted interventions such as canine therapy are widely used in hospitals, schools, and other settings to reduce anxiety, reduce stress, and foster trust. Studies on the potential benefits of animal interaction often take a holistic approach, comparing people's mood and hormone levels before and after spending time with a service animal. However, this approach does not distinguish between types of interactions, such as grooming, feeding, and playing with animals, so it is difficult to understand how each specific interaction affects a person's health and well-being. There is limited understanding of
Research findings support hugging your dog
To better understand how such animal-related activities affect mood, Dr. Onew Yoo from the Department of Bio-Healing and Interdisciplinary Studies at Konkuk University in South Korea, studied animals aged 20 to 40. We recruited a small sample of 30 adult participants, each of whom completed eight different activities. Spend time with a well-trained dog by playing with hand toys, giving treats, and taking pictures with him. Participants were recruited from May to June 2022 using recruitment information posted at pet salons and dog beauty academies in Seongnam, South Korea.
Participants wore electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes that recorded their brain electrical activity while interacting with the dog, and recorded their subjective emotional state immediately after each activity.
They published their findings in the journal PLOS One under the title “Psychophysiological and emotional effects of human-dog interactions by activity type: an electroencephalogram study.”
While participants played or walked their dogs, the relative strength of alpha-band rhythms in the brain increased, reflecting a relaxed and alert state. Participants said that grooming their dogs, giving them gentle massages, and playing with their dogs made them feel significantly less fatigued, depressed, and stressed after all dog-related activities.
Previous research has shown that when owners hug, pet, massage and gently talk to their dogs, the animals' blood pressure lowers.
Not all participants had pets of their own, but liking animals may have motivated their willingness to participate in the experiment, potentially biasing the results. Nevertheless, the authors state that the unique relationship between specific activities and their physiological effects may provide a reference for programming targeted animal-mediated interventions in the future. There is.
“This study provides valuable information to elucidate the therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms of animal-assisted interventions,” the researchers said.
