Regular petting of dogs “significantly” reduces stress, a new study confirms

Dogs are a natural stress reliever, particularly for college students with learning and concentration difficulties. This is revealed by new research conducted by Washington State University.

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

Dogs are a natural stress reliever, particularly for college students with learning and concentration difficulties. This is revealed by new field research carried out by Washington State University, which revealed a notable improvement in the academic career of those students who had participated in dog therapy meetings. The positive effects of interacting with dogs were found on planning, organization, memory and concentration skills.

The effects of dog therapy on college students

In this specific case, the young people from Washington State University took part in an hour a week meeting over a month, during which they interacted with the dogs, playing with them and stroking them. The study focused on 309 university students, who were randomly assigned to one of three stress management programs organized by the university, one of which involved dog therapy with dogs made available by the Palouse Paws association.

"The results were very interesting," said Patricia Pendry, a lecturer at Washington State University and lead author of the study. - “We saw that the students who were most at risk showed the greatest number of improvements following interaction with the dogs”.

During the monitoring, the researchers evaluated the progress of the so-called executive functions, or those skills used when it comes to memorizing, concentrating, motivating, organizing and planning.

"It was very surprising to find that attending traditional stress management seminars was less effective for students at risk than interactions with therapy dogs" - explains Pendry - "We expected to teach students proven stress management strategies. it would have been particularly useful for students with mental health, learning or academic difficulties, but we found that this was not the case. "

And the positive effects were also found up to six weeks after the end of the dog therapy meetings in the case of students with academic problems.

Dogs as a natural stress reliever

“Interacting exclusively with therapy dogs may have distracted at-risk students from negative and stressful thoughts, allowing them to better control their moods and creating a calmer, more relaxed environment,” Pendry points out.

According to the expert, the results obtained offer an important insight into alternative stress management strategies:

“These are really powerful results. Universities are doing a great job trying to help students succeed academically, especially those who are at risk from a history of mental illness or learning problems. This study shows that traditional approaches to stress management are not as effective for this population group as programs that focus on providing opportunities for interaction with dogs offered by pet therapy. "

It has now been established that our four-legged friends are a natural anxiolytic for students and beyond. All that remains, therefore, is to ask: but will dogs always agree?

Fonte: American Education Research Association