Playing with a dog, petting it, feeding it or hugging it can increase brain waves associated with stress relief and concentration, according to a study published in PLOS One.
Some animals, including dogs, are increasingly used as therapy in hospitalsschools and other centers to help reduce anxiety, relieve stress and foster feelings of confidence.
But studies on the possible benefits of interactions with animals often take a holistic approach, comparing people’s mood or hormone levels before and after spend time with a service animal.
That approach does not distinguish between types of interactions with the animal, which limits understanding of how each specific activity impacts a person’s health and well-being.
Specific changes in brain activity
A team from Konkuk University (South Korea) performed brain scans on 30 volunteers to learn about specific changes in brain activity while they performed eight different activities with a dog.
The volunteers, with an average age of 27, wore electrodes to record the brain’s electrical activity in the prefrontal, frontal, parietal and occipital lobes during the activities. Besides their emotional state was recorded subjective immediately after each activity.
Each interaction with the animal lasted three minutes and included meeting it, playing with it, feeding it, massaging it, grooming it, taking photographs, hugging it and walking it.
The relative intensity of alpha band oscillations in the brain increased while the participants played with the dog and walked itreflecting a state of relaxed wakefulness.
Grooming, gently massaging or playing with the animal increased the relative intensity of the beta band oscillation, a stimulus often associated with greater concentration without stress.
Less fatigued, depressed and stressed
Participants reported feeling significantly less fatigued, depressed and stressed after all dog related activities.
The study demonstrates, as the authors write, that certain activities with dogs “they could activate greater relaxation, emotional stability, attention, concentration and creativity by facilitating an increase in brain activity”as well as “reduce stress and induce positive emotional responses.”
Although not all research participants had pets, it is likely that their love of animals motivated their willingness to participate in the experiment, which could bias the results.
However, the authors state that the unique relationships between specific activities and their physiological effects could serve as a reference for programming specific animal-assisted interventions in the future.
(With information from EFE)
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