The IAA One Minute Blog

Petting, walking and playing with a dog decreases stress and increases the power of brian waves associated with relaxation, a new study suggests.

Caring for Animals

To better gauge how animal-related activities influence mood, investigators recruited 30 adult participants in their 20s to 40s, to engage in eight activities with a four-year old female poodle.

Animal-assisted activities with the dog consisted of meeting, playing, feeding, massaging, grooming, photographs, hugging, and walking.

Participants wore electroencephalography electrodes to record electrical activity from the brain during interactions with the dog. They also recorded their subjective emotional state immediately after each activity. All the activities were completed in 60 minutes.

Participants reported feeling much less fatigued, depressed, and stressed after all dog-related activities.

Researchers found that participants’ alpha brain waves, which indicate stability and relaxation, became stronger when they played with the dog and when they took her for a walk.

Beta brain waves, which are associated with attention and concentration, became stronger when participants played with the poodle, brushed it, or gave the dog a gentle massage.

The study was published in PLOS One online.

Pets and Your Health

Being a pet owner does provide benefits to your health: 

• Help manage depression by giving companionship
• Increased opportunities to exercise, get outside and socialize
• Regular walking and playing with pets decrease blood pressure, cholesterol levels and triglyceride levels

Most households in the United States have at least one pet.

What IAA has to Say

 Insurance Administrator of America knows that dogs are man’s best friend! IAA wants you and your furry pals to have healthy lives together.