Breakthrough research reveals effects on the ‘love hormone’ when children and dogs interact
Puppy love is real!
Pets are important members of our society and our families. We also know they bring many benefits to our lives, improving our heart health in older age and even our children’s stress levels.
New research supported by Waltham Petcare Science Institute provides the first evidence of oxytocin’s role in child/dog interactions.
The team found that oxytocin levels were higher when children played with a dog – whether it was their own or a therapy dog. The results also suggest that dogs release more of the love hormone when they interact with familiar children too.
This is one of few studies to investigate the benefits to both children and dogs. And it’s clear that the benefits go both ways.
This is the second recent study from Gnanadesikan et al, looking at the benefits of the child/dog bond. The first, published last year,(Opens a new window) found a decrease in cortisol levels during interactions between children and dogs.
Toward a happier, healthier future
Oxytocin has been shown to decrease stress and anxiety levels. It’s also linked with feelings of relaxation, trust, and overall psychological wellbeing(Opens a new window), so, this new research is important.
It shows that dogs could play a crucial role in children’s social and emotional growth and also highlights the mutual benefit for pets more broadly – strengthening the importance of our research into the human and animal bond.
This is just one more reason that we, at Mars Petcare, continue working toward our Purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.
Read the research ‘Effects of human-animal interaction on salivary and urinary oxytocin in children and dogs’ in full here: Psychoneuroendocrinology (Opens a new window)
