Do Dogs Mirror our Stress? New Study Suggests Canine Empathy Goes Deeper Than We Thought
Belfast, Ireland – Man’s best friend may be more attuned to our emotions than we realize. A groundbreaking new study from Queen’s University Belfast suggests that dogs don’t just provide comfort during stressful times, they may actually absorb our anxiety, becoming stressed themselves.
The research, conducted by a team from the School of Biological Sciences, investigated whether a dog owner’s stress levels could directly influence their canine companion’s stress in unfamiliar settings, such as a vet’s office.
To figure this out, 28 dog owners were fitted with heart rate monitors and subjected to either a digitally-administered stress test or a calming guided meditation session. Their dogs were also carefully monitored during this time.
The results were intriguing. Owners reported increased stress levels after the digital test, while those who participated in the meditation showed a trend toward decreased stress. Moreover, changes in the owners’ heart rates accurately predicted subsequent changes in their dogs’ heart rates.
"Dogs may have the ability to display emotional contagion, which is the mirroring of emotion, and social referencing, eg looking for cues to inform their reaction to a situation, towards their owners in novel settings," explained Dr. Gareth Arnott, reader in Animal Behaviour and Welfare at Queen’s.
Veterinarian Aoife Byrne, who led the research, emphasized the importance of these findings for animal welfare. “This study underlines the importance of incorporating methods to mitigate owner stress in veterinary settings, as this has the potential to also reduce the stress experienced by their dogs."
This research opens up exciting new avenues for understanding the complex emotional bond between humans and their canine companions. It also highlights the need for greater consideration of the emotional well-being of animals in stressful situations, particularly those involving their human counterparts.
The new study, conducted by researchers at Queen’s University Belfast, shows that changes in an owner’s heart rate can predict changes in their dog’s heart rate.
