Petting your dog after stress may not calm you instantly, but it changes how your body handles future stress, according to new research.
Study on petting dogs and stress
A study by psychologists at the University of Innsbruck found that petting a dog after a stressful event does not immediately eliminate stress but may change how the body responds to future stress.Methodology of the experiment
The research, published in the journal Biological Psychology, involved 64 dog owners who participated in two stressful tests. Each test included rest, stress, and recovery phases, with a break where participants could interact with their dogs.Role of the dog during the break
During the break between the two stress tests, the dog was either freely available for petting or present but not reachable. This allowed researchers to compare the effects of physical contact with a dog versus no contact.Measuring physiological responses
Researchers used EEG to track brain waves, and measured heart rate and heart rate variability, which indicates the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system responsible for calming the body.Findings on stress response
Participants who had contact with their dogs during the break showed a slower heart rate, higher heart rate variability, and less reduction in alpha brain waves during the second stress test, suggesting a more relaxed physiological response.
