Petting dogs is one of the most pleasurable sensations out there, and what’s more, this nice gesture with your pet (or the neighbour’s) could bring you unexpected benefits on a cerebral… and social level. A study from the University of Basel (Switzerland) has discovered that seeing, touching and feeling dogs increases the activity of the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for regulating emotions and social interactions.
In previous studies it had already been shown that petting dogs and cats reduced stress levels, but this work has gone further with the aim of discovering the changes that occur at the brain level during this cuddly practice with our furry friends. Researchers have stressed that knowing the brain processes that occur with this simple act could help improve animal-assisted therapy.
The research, which has been published in the journal PLOS One, has been carried out by analyzing the brain activity of 19 adults through a non-invasive test carried out with infrared neuroimaging technology. The moment of measurement was when the participants saw a dog, had it next to it or when they stroked it. In addition, the same tests were also carried out with a stuffed lion to compare the effects on the brain.
Better results in real dogs than in stuffed animals
Prefrontal brain activity was found to increase as the dog and teddy got closer, but was higher when the participants interacted with real dogs, especially when petting these animals. In addition, this activity increased every time there was contact with the dogs.
“The results are clinically relevant for patients with deficits in motivation, attention, and socio-emotional functioning”
In the stuffed lion tests, these effects were not seen as markedly, so the authors believe that this increase in brain activity could be related to social bonding or familiarity.
“The present study demonstrates that prefrontal brain activity in healthy subjects increased with increased interactional closeness with a dog or stuffed animal, but especially in contact with the dog, the activation is stronger. This indicates that interactions with a dog could activate more attentional processes and elicit stronger emotional arousal than comparable non-living stimuli”, explain the researchers from the University of Basel.
“The results are clinically relevant for patients with deficits in motivation, attention, and social-emotional functioning. Therefore, the integration of animals in therapeutic interventions could be a promising approach to improve attention and emotional participation”, concludes Rahel Marti, lead author of the study.
However, he notes that: “Future studies will be needed to examine the issue of familiarity in detail and whether petting animals can trigger a similar boost in prefrontal brain activity in patients with socioemotional deficits.”
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