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Only living animals calmed people
Researchers had people pet a real rabbit, a toy rabbit, a real turtle, or a toy turtle, and checked their anxiety levels before and after. Only the people were measured, not the animals' stress.
The real animals worked. The toys did not. The researchers concluded that being alive, rather than the texture of the object, produced the effect.
Many studies have looked at whether petting a furry friend helps with stress, and some of them find that it seems to.
Why would petting an animal calm people?
One leading explanation involves oxytocin, a hormone tied to bonding and calm. In a 2003 study, Johan Odendaal and Roy Meintjes measured blood chemistry in people before and after they petted dogs. They found rises in oxytocin and several other feel-good chemicals in the people, and in the dogs as well. Warm contact with a living body may also slow a person's own heartbeat.
Why are animal therapy studies hard to run?
No participant can be blinded to whether they are petting a living animal. Volunteers also tend to be people who already like animals, which can tilt the results. Many studies use small groups and differing animals, so findings are hard to compare. Reviews of animal-assisted intervention research have repeatedly flagged small samples and the lack of blinding as limits.
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