NEWSWEEK – Spending time with a dog reduces stress and helps you concentrate, new research has found.
Scientists already know that dogs make for great companions and can provide a number of health benefits to their human owners. Dogs have even been involved in therapy sessions to help relieve anxiety. Several studies have looked at feelings of relaxation and hormone changes before and after spending time with their pet.
This new research published in Plos One studied electrical activity to find that spending quality time with canine companions can increase the power of brain waves that are linked to concentration and the feeling of relaxation.
The researchers then assessed the electrical activity in the brain while they participated in these activities with the dogs. They were able to gather the owners’ emotional state directly after they participated in the activities. They found, overall, that participants showed drastically lower stress levels afterwards.
“Our study demonstrates that animal interaction activities, such as playing, walking, massaging, and grooming dogs, have a positive effect by facilitating increased brain activity in healthy participants,” the authors wrote in the study.
“This indicates that certain activities activate relaxation, emotional stability, attention, concentration, and creativity. Notably, playing with the dog has an affirmative effect on both relaxation and concentration.
Additionally, through a subjective mood assessment, results revealed that interactions with dogs can decrease human stress and induce positive emotional responses.”
