When we are stressed, so are our dogs. A new study confirms the incredible connection between dogs and their owners.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himWhen we are stressed, so are our dogs. A new study confirms theincredible connection between dogs and their owners.
Contagious stress between humans and dogs
When we cross a particularly stressful period, Our dogs they perceive it and feel stressed in turn.
It is not new that our four-legged friends feel a kind of empathy towards us, and further confirmation comes from a new study recently published in Scientific Reports. The study involved 58 people and their dogs, both companion and competition, belonging to the breeds Border Collie e Shetland Shepherd.
During the experiment, biological responses to prolonged stress were analyzed: to evaluate the physiological response to stress in dogs and owners, the researchers measured i cortisol levels present in human hair and animal hair.
Cortisol is a hormone released by the adrenal cortex in stress response, so that the organism can adapt to overcome moments or periods that are demanding from a psychophysical point of view. In case of depression, intense physical activity or situations such as unemployment or health problems, cortisol increases to help our body cope with difficulties.
Researchers from Sweden found that when cortisol levels rise in humans as a result of stress, the same thing happens in their dogs, demonstrating an interspecies link.
Training with your dog increases the bond
Researchers from the Swedish study noted that the synchronization of cortisol levels it is highest among humans and dogs competing together. The bond between competitive dogs with men would therefore seem stronger than that created with companion dogs. This could be due to an increase in the confidence and emotional bond that is created during training.
Differences in dog-to-human synchronization were also highlighted between male and female dogs and in relation to the season: the stress response of owners is greater in female dogs and increases during the winter months.
The study also showed that if the owner is stressed out, cortisol levels also increase in his four-legged friend but the opposite is not the case. The hypothesis is that the dog has a relationship of dependence on man, while the existence of man is not centered on the dog.
At the moment, however, there is not enough evidence to show that the influence is one-sided and new research may prove otherwise.
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