The dog. It is known to be Homo sapiens‘s best friend. But perhaps soon we can also call it the best therapist. Because researchers have once again proven it. Spending time with a dog can, in turn, reduce our stress or improve our concentration.
Those of you who share your life with a dog have probably already experienced this feeling. That spending time with your four-legged companion relieves stressstress and helps regain a certain well-being. Studies have already shown this. Dogs are beneficial to our mental health. And now they even have access to schools, nursing homes, or hospitals. But researchers at Konkuk University (South Korea) wanted to know more.
Dogs Help with Relaxation and Attention
They wanted to specify which activities shared with a dog have the most beneficial effects. In the journal Plos One, they explain that they worked with a small group of 30 participants whom they connected with a well-trained dog. Each human wore electrodeselectrodes to measure their brain activity. And each person also reported, afterward, their emotional state. A more subjective measure.
Researchers at Konkuk University (South Korea) recorded the brain activity of human participants in their experiments while they were offered different activities with a dog. © Yoo et al., 2024, Plos One, CC-BY 4.0
The researchers report recording a state of relaxed alertness when the participants played with the dogs or went for walks with them. Grooming or massage activities, on the other hand, resulted in increased concentration. In terms of how they felt, all participants reported being less tired, less depresseddepressed, and less stressed after interacting with the dog. Regardless of the type of activity proposed.
Better Guiding Therapies with Dogs
This feeling should not be taken at face value, the researchers emphasize. Especially since the participants were volunteers, animal lovers, and possibly inclined to praise the positive effects of time spent with a dog. But brain waves don’t lie. And the results obtained could help better guide therapiestherapies based on dogs in the future by proposing activities based on the desired effects.