How Your Dog Can Relieve Your Anxiety (greatergood.berkeley.edu)

To read more of Jill Suttie's article, please click here.

Those of us with dogs know that they can be wonderful companions. Though they take some effort to care for, the love and joy they bring to your life is often well worth the cost.

Now, a new study suggests something else your dog may provide: relief from anxiety.

In this study, 73 pet owners reported on their stress levels, their history with animals, their attitude toward dogs, how long they’d owned their pet dog, and how closely bonded they were with their dog before undergoing a test designed to induce stress. The test involved adding up numbers with sums under 20, but under increasingly difficult time constraints, with a loud, explosive sound going off any time they gave a wrong answer.

Following the stress test, dog owners reported on how stressed they were (to verify that the stress test worked), as well as their levels of anxiety and positive and negative feelings. Then, they were randomly assigned to one of three groups for 10 minutes: to interact with their dog, work on a “stress-reducing” coloring book, or wait quietly to see their dog.