According to a study published in the latest issue of the open-access journal PLOS ONE by researchers at Konkuk University in South Korea, spending quality time with dogs can reduce stress while boosting brainwaves associated with relaxation and alertness.
Animal-assisted interventions, such as canine therapy, are increasingly being used in settings like hospitals and schools to help people reduce anxiety, relieve stress, and build trust.
Research into the potential benefits of these therapies has typically focused on comparing people's mood or hormone levels before and after spending time with a service animal. This approach does not distinguish between different types of interactions, such as petting, feeding, or playing with the animal, which limits our understanding of how each specific interaction affects human health outcomes.
To gain more insight into how specific interactions affect mood, the research team recruited 30 adult participants who each performed eight different activities with a trained dog.
While interacting with the dog, participants wore an electroencephalography (EEG) cap to record their brain's electrical activity, and they reported their subjective emotional state immediately after each activity.
When participants engaged in playful activities like playing fetch or walking the dog, there was an increase in the relative strength of alpha band oscillations in their brain, reflecting a relaxed yet alert state. When they groomed the dog or gave it a gentle massage, there was an increase in the relative strength of beta band oscillations, which are typically associated with increased attention.
The report also showed significant reductions in fatigue, depression, and perceived stress after all dog-related activities.
While not all participants had pets of their own, their fondness for animals likely motivated their willingness to participate in the experiment, which could have biased the results.
それでも、研究チームは、特定のアクティビティと生理的影響との間のユニークな関係が、今後、ターゲットを絞ったアニマルアシステッドインターベンションを策定する際の参考になると述べています。
