A comprehensive study by Beetz et al.(2012)<\/i> compiled data from 69 studies related to the psychosocial and psychophysiological effects of human animal interaction. The data found shows that interaction with an animal has positive effects on, \u201csocial attention, social behavior, interpersonal interactions, and mood; stress-related parameters such as cortisol, heart rate, and blood pressure; self-reported fear and anxiety; and mental and physical health, especially cardiovascular diseases.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was found that the perception of an individual is effected when an animal is present and there is a stimulation of social interaction, this is know as the \u201csocial catalyst effect\u201d. It found \u201cchildren with pervasive developmental disorders (including autism) were more playful in interaction with a live dog compared to toys, and also more aware of their social environment in the presence of the dog.\u201d In adults with chronic mental illness, AAT lead to significant interaction, and also increased mood, with other patients when compared to a control without AAT. This is very important to Puppies with a Purpose\u2019s overall mission, for we believe that many people could greatly increase their socialization with the assistance of a therapy dog to feel more comfortable.<\/p>\n
Interaction with a dog has been shown to reduce stress because it, \u201cpositively affects endocrine responses as indicated by changes in the levels of cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine.\u201d Social support by a friendly human was compared to support by a dog and it was found that cortisol, which the main hormone released during stress, was significantly lower in the support by a dog. It also found that the more time a person spent with a dog the lower the cortisol levels. It was also found that quietly petting a dog was seen to reduce heart-rate and blood pressure significantly more than quietly reading a book.<\/p>\n
The study found many positive effects of human animal interaction on mental, social and physical well-being. At Puppies With A Purpose Inc. we have seen numerous examples of how therapy dogs have helped people in all of these ways and believe that so many more people could potentially benefit in life changing ways. We hope to spread information such as this in order to make the public more aware of the benefits of therapy dogs!<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3408111\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A comprehensive study by Beetz et al.(2012) compiled data from 69 studies related to the psychosocial and psychophysiological effects of human animal interaction. The data found shows that interaction with an animal has positive effects on, \u201csocial attention, social behavior, … Continue reading