Lives Brightened by Doggie Dynamics
Feb. 15, 2000 (New York) -- The average pooch isn't good enough for the Super Bowl of dog shows, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, taking place this week New York. However, Spot or Fido can be the key to open up an owner's social life, according to a study in the Feb. 15 issue of the British Journal of Psychology. The new findings may help explain why pet owners live longer, healthier lives than non-pet owners.
In the study, people who walked dogs tended to have more social interactions during the course of the day than people without canine companions, mostly because people are more likely to strike up a conversation if there is a safe topic available, such as a dog. For example, passersby may make comments including "I used to have a dog," "Can I pet your dog?" or "What type of dog is that?" to the dog owner.
Pets may enhance social interactions between people, strengthening social networks and thus elevating psychological and physical well-being, the researchers speculate.
"This may help us understand why pet owners are frequently reported to be healthier than non-owners," lead researcher June McNicholas, PhD, of the department of psychology at the University of Warwick in England, points out in a written press release. "It may be that increased casual social contact can increase feelings of well-being and provide companionship and sense of social integration."
While the new study only looked at dogs, the findings most likely apply to other types of pets as well, conclude McNicholas and her colleague Glyn M. Collis, PhD.
In the first of two experiments, a woman walked a yellow Labrador as she went about her daily routines for five days. Then, she went about the same routines without the dog for five days. In the 10 days, she had a total of 206 encounters with people, and 156 occurred when she was accompanied by the dog, the researchers report.
The second experiment was designed to see if the appearance of the dog or the dog walker affected social interactions. The dog walker was either dressed in a sports jacket, collar, and tie and neatly pressed trousers or in torn, dirty jeans, scuffed work boots, an old T-shirt, and a stained jacket. The dog either wore a colored, matching collar or a studded leather collar with a piece of frayed rope as a leash. Social interactions were measured when the walkers were alone or walking with a dog in either type of collar.
Lives Brightened by Doggie Dynamics
Feb. 15, 2000 (New York) -- The average pooch isn't good enough for the Super Bowl of dog shows, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, taking place this week New York. However, Spot or Fido can be the key to open up an owner's social life, according to a study in the Feb. 15 issue of the British Journal of Psychology. The new findings may help explain why pet owners live longer, healthier lives than non-pet owners.
In the study, people who walked dogs tended to have more social interactions during the course of the day than people without canine companions, mostly because people are more likely to strike up a conversation if there is a safe topic available, such as a dog. For example, passersby may make comments including "I used to have a dog," "Can I pet your dog?" or "What type of dog is that?" to the dog owner.
Pets may enhance social interactions between people, strengthening social networks and thus elevating psychological and physical well-being, the researchers speculate.
"This may help us understand why pet owners are frequently reported to be healthier than non-owners," lead researcher June McNicholas, PhD, of the department of psychology at the University of Warwick in England, points out in a written press release. "It may be that increased casual social contact can increase feelings of well-being and provide companionship and sense of social integration."
While the new study only looked at dogs, the findings most likely apply to other types of pets as well, conclude McNicholas and her colleague Glyn M. Collis, PhD.
In the first of two experiments, a woman walked a yellow Labrador as she went about her daily routines for five days. Then, she went about the same routines without the dog for five days. In the 10 days, she had a total of 206 encounters with people, and 156 occurred when she was accompanied by the dog, the researchers report.
The second experiment was designed to see if the appearance of the dog or the dog walker affected social interactions. The dog walker was either dressed in a sports jacket, collar, and tie and neatly pressed trousers or in torn, dirty jeans, scuffed work boots, an old T-shirt, and a stained jacket. The dog either wore a colored, matching collar or a studded leather collar with a piece of frayed rope as a leash. Social interactions were measured when the walkers were alone or walking with a dog in either type of collar.
SHARE
