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If you decompress by playing with dogs or checking out their adorable videos on social media, you might be on to something.
Interacting with dogs in such ways can boost people’s brain waves associated with rest and relaxation, as measured by brain scans, according to a small study published Wednesday in journal PLOS One.
Many studies have shown the emotional, physiological and cognitive benefits of interactions with animals, especially dogs — such as boosted energy, increased positive emotions or reduced risk for loss of memory. That’s why animal-assisted health interventions are increasingly being used in diverse fields, the study’s authors said.
Previous studies have often taken “a holistic approach, comparing people’s mood or hormone levels before and after spending time with a dog,” said the study’s first author. , Onyoo Yoo, a doctoral student in the department of bio and healing convergence at Konkuk University’s graduate school in Seoul, via email.
In this new study, Yoo and colleagues aimed to find out how mood was affected by specific activities — rather than just general interaction with a dog — by both objectively measuring the activity of brain and asking participants about their personal emotions.
The study included 30 healthy adults with an average age of 28 and recruited from pet salons and a dog grooming school in Seongnam, South Korea, between May and June 2022.
In a dark, quiet room at a local grooming academy, each participant did eight activities with a 4-year-old, well-trained, female standard poodle owned by the lead author of study. Activities include meeting, playing, feeding, massaging, grooming, photographing, cuddling and walking the dog.
Before the activities began, the participants sat and stared at the wall for three minutes to reduce any stimulation that might impair the results. The authors measured the participants’ brain waves, using electroencephalogram, or EEG, tests for three minutes during each activity.
An EEG is a noninvasive test that measures electrical activity in the brain using small metal discs called electrodes, which are attached to the scalp. These tests provide “quick and accurate insights into unconscious processes that self-disclosure may not uncover,” Yoo said.
After each task, the authors gave the participants a few minutes to answer questionnaires on their emotional state. The whole process took about an hour.
Different activities have different effects on participants’ brain waves. Playing and walking with a dog increased the strength of alpha-band oscillations, the authors found, which typically indicate stability and relaxation. Alpha wave activity is associated with improved memory and reduced mental stress, according to the study.
Grooming, playing and gently massaging the dog are associated with enhanced beta-band oscillation, which is associated with increased attention and concentration. Participants also felt less depressed, anxious and fatigued after interacting with the poodle.
Since most of the research in this field is anecdotal or subjective, although it’s not surprising, “it’s very exciting” that the new study provides more insight into exactly how the known benefits might occur, says Dr. Colleen Dell, a professor and research chair at One Health & Wellness at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, via email.
“Studying the area in multiple ways — like EEG and subjective scales — is really important,” said Dell, who was not involved in the study.
How interacting with dogs affects the brain
Although not all of the participants had pets of their own, “their passion for animals likely motivated their willingness to participate in the experiment, potentially biasing the results,” Yoo said. “Animal-assisted therapy can be very beneficial for people who enjoy being around animals.”
Beyond the changes in brain activity observed in the study, “this study was not designed to determine what mechanisms might link pet interactions to the observed changes in brain activity,” said Dr. Tiffany Braley, the Holtom-Garrett Family Professor of Neurology at the University of Michigan, who was not involved in the study.
However, the prefrontal cortex, one of the regions examined in this study, “is thought to be involved in emotional and social processing, offering the possibility that emotional or social bonding in animals may affect activity. in this region,” Braley added via email. “Furthermore, previous studies have suggested that reduced cortisol levels and elevations in oxytocin may play a role in physiological changes associated with human-animal interactions.”
The study had some weaknesses, experts said – such as the low number of study participants and the fact that they did not have mental, medical or neurological conditions, which could benefit more from these types of intervention, Braley said. Additionally, the study did not have a control group to see if the actions, when performed on a human instead of a dog, would have similar benefits.
“It is important to confirm the validity of these findings in future studies,” Yoo said.
Applying doggie research to your life
Although more studies are needed, if you already have a dog, there is now more evidence to support interactions with your pet, experts say.
Most of these activities your dog probably enjoys, Dell says, but pay attention to what they don’t like — some dogs don’t like to be hugged, for example.
If you want to adopt a dog, there are a few things you should consider. You’ll need extra money for at least pet supplies, health care, toys, food and pet sitting, all of which can add up to hundreds or thousands of dollars annually. . If you adopt a puppy, it will need to be trained, and any new pet needs to get used to a new environment regardless of age. Then there is the quality time the dog needs on a regular basis.
If you’re not ready for a pet but still want to reap the emotional health benefits, you can try playing with a loved one’s pet or visit a local shelter or pet store that allows playing with dogs even if you don’t adopt them. Doing this is especially encouraged in areas with lots of puppies as it helps to spend quality time socializing with them.
Recognizing the dog’s well-being is important, Dell says, “because if the dog is not healthy and happy, they will not (also) fully participate in the intervention.”
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