Let’s be honest. You don’t need a group of researchers to tell you that spending time with your dog can improve your mood, lower stress levels, and generally make you feel 1000 times better when depressed. But it’s nice to be validated by science.
A study published by researchers in South Korea discovered that spending time with dogs can help increase focus and concentration levels, while lowering stress.
For the study, the researchers mapped the change in brainwave activity of 30 adults through electrodes attached to headsets, as they interacted with a poodle named Aro.
These participants engaged in eight activities for three minutes each. The activities included all the stuff you usually do with your good boy, like meeting, playing, feeding, massaging, grooming, photographing, hugging and walking.
According to the results, spending time and doing these activities with Aro resulted in the participants being more relaxed and showed a spike in their concentration levels without an increase in stress. The participants reported feeling less stressed, fatigued and depressed after the study was completed.
Several studies in the past have discovered the physiological and emotional benefits of spending more time with dogs. A study published in 2022 found out that being around dogs can help with PTSD symptoms too.
So, take this as cue to give your doggy a big and warm hug. It’s for science, after all.
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