People often say that the dog is man’s best friend – this has been supported by new research that shows walking a dog can make people feel more relaxed.
“Interactions with dogs can decrease human stress and induce positive emotional responses,” according to South Korean scientists, who scanned brain activity in 30 adults while they walked, brushed and played with a poodle.
Interacting with a dog has a “positive effect on both relaxation and concentration”, the Konkuk University team reported, in a paper published by the science journal PLOS One.
But it’s best to bring a ball or find a stick to throw while out that walk, as the researchers found evidence that playing with a dog makes people not only more relaxed but also more focused.
Getting out a brush and teasing out any dirt or debris from the animal’s fur gives yet another concentration boost, the team found.
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The researchers were advised by a professional dog handler during the tests, which involved putting headsets on participants while they spent around 25 minutes with the dog, a poodle named Aro.
The Korean study followed recent research suggesting interacting with dogs increases oxytocin, the “love hormone”, as well as work published in 2021 showing university students who kept a pet dog were less stressed than peers who didn’t.
The effect is two-way, according to work published last year in the journal Evolution, Medicine & Public Health, which found dogs remained healthier for longer when walked and given attention by their owners.
