‘Dogs have a magic effect’: how pets can improve our mental health - MW

What is it about animals? As the bad news about coronavirus continued, he sent me dogs and cats that became a regular cry on social media, an easy-to-understand shorthand for me. The answer is always the same: a stream of images of animals doing silly things - but somehow it has a calming, magical effect.

The therapeutic value of our relationship with pets, especially dogs, is increasingly recognized by researchers. Cats can be great too - but dogs have been domesticated a lot longer, and, even the most devoted cat lovers will admit, dogs are easily trained to accompany. Most cats, as we know them, are admirable for completely different reasons. Marion Janner, a comprehensive mental health campaigner and animal lover, says dogs teach us a range of lessons. Dogs Dogs love us unconditionally. They are the best in equal opportunities - completely indifferent to race, gender, star sign, CV, clothing size or the ability to throw amazing moves on the dance floor. The simplicity and depth of this love is a constant joy, along with the health benefits of daily walks and the social pleasures of conversations with other dog owners. They teach children to be responsible, selfless and compassionate and, worthwhile but sadly, how to cope when the person you love dies.

Robert Doward * felt this odd effect when his health suddenly took a downward turn. “Occd was working incredibly hard, long hours, too many days. One day I started crying and just couldn’t stop. I couldnt put put sentences together properly. It has been pushed everything so hard for so long, and I just couldn't have done it any more. ”

It took a long time to put himself back together: plus some therapy, another job and changes to his family life. But the key factor, he says only half-jokingly, was a small Greek rescue dog called Maria. “Taking her out for walks, getting out into fresh air, just putting one foot in front of the other, that lifts your spirits. And then there’s nothing like having a dog curled up beside you, even when you feel absolutely miserable. She’ll check my face anxiously, as if she knows something is wrong. And that makes me smile - and that somehow makes you feel better. There is just something magic about dogs. Honestly, she got me through. ”

But why? What is responsible for these therapeutic effects? An important aspect that seems to be social recognition - the process of identifying someone else as important and meaningful to you. The bond that forms between the owner and the pet seems to be similar to the bond a mother has with her child.

The importance of social recognition is increasingly recognized for its role in helping us form networks. We now understand that healthy social bonds can play an important role in mental health; Without them, we become lonely, depressed and physically unwell. And pets, seemingly, can fulfill that role. McNicholas, a June scholar and psychologist, points out that pets can be a lifesaver for people in social isolation.

Pet care and self-care are linked. When you walk your dog, people talk to you and it may be the only social contact that an isolated person has all day. If you have a cat, you can have a conversation standing in the cat walkway in the supermarket, deciding which brand to buy. When pet owners leave home to buy pet food, they are likely to buy food for themselves and when they feed the pet, they will sit down to eat. People with disabilities often find that physically fit people may be awkward with them; if they have a dog, it breaks down barriers and allows for more natural and comfortable interaction.

Social recognition is something that humans share with a few (though not all) mammals, including sheep and prairie mice. We have the ability to take care of those for whom we made social bonds; We do not breastfeed any old children and we do not bring random dogs home from the park. Author and researcher Meg Daley Olmert explained about When we called our dog, our baby, it was because we recognized it at such a neurological level. And this recognition activates the same brain's interconnected brain network that allows the mother to look at her red, sleazy infant and say, ‘mine!

A small study of functional MRI brain scans in 18 women showed similar responses in areas related to rewards, emotions and associations when women looked at pictures of their children and pets. surname. Even so, there are important differences; dogs that cause activity in fusiform gyroscopes (related to facial recognition) and babies in tegmentum (reward and bonding centers). We love our pets, but in a fire we were ready to save the baby.

Although scientists have some understanding of social recognition and where it takes place in the brain, we still don't fully understand how it works. The missing link could be oxytocin, the so-called hormone, a love, or the cough. Oxytocin has a key role in both birth, breastfeeding and sperm movement, but it also has an increasingly recognized role in our social behavior, serving as chemical messengers in our offspring. The way to control sexual excitement, awareness, trust, mother and human bonds.

Oxytocin works in tandem with another brain hormone, vasopressin, to help regulate our response to stress and deal with social situations. Unsurprisingly, there is a lot of concern about the possible role of oxytocin in addiction, brain injury, anorexia, depression, autism and serious anxiety.

And there are other reasons that pets and therapeutic animals are increasingly recognized as good for our mental health. In addition to helping reduce stress, anxiety, depression and loneliness, there are all benefits that come from having to exercise for your dog. Walking daily outdoors enhances your physical and mental health. Swallowing sticks, picking up balls - even poo dog scales - can provide a comprehensive workout.

More and more that knowledge is being transferred to practical use, with some lovely effects. For example, when the Mental Health Center conducted a review of therapy dogs in prisons, feedback was not taken. I don't know what it is, but even when I'm running around with [the dog], I still feel better inside, calmer, more peaceful, a prisoner said. Another person told the interviewer: Dog Dogs have a magical effect on you, you can feel their love and that only makes you feel better inside of you.

Good emotions persisted even after the dogs had left, reviewers found, with one topic saying: I just walked around for the rest of the day on cloud nine.

Some of the UK's most violent and dangerous psychiatric patients are cared for in one of four highly secure psychiatric hospitals. Most were diagnosed with schizophrenia and stayed for an average of seven years. State hospital in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, is one of these facilities and runs an animal therapy center that gives patients the opportunity to raise pets and take care of a range of animals including chipmunks and rabbits , hens, geese, goats and pigs.

Staff said that animal therapy helps develop problem-solving skills, empathy, attention to the needs of others, a sense of responsibility, and how to communicate aggressive thoughts among individuals. difficult to access common psychiatric medications and speech therapies.

But what if you don't have a pet? Are there any shortcuts to recreate beneficial effects? One candidate is sildenafil (Viagra). Sexual intercourse causes an increase in oxytocin in the brain and Viagra can reproduce without mating. A more practical idea might be sprays or oxytocin.

But biologist Sue Carter says turning natural oxytocin into a commercial product is a challenge. Oxytocin has unique chemical properties and can change form, making it difficult to operate and measure. Importantly, the effects of oxytocin depend on the context, gender deformities (different in men and women) and are altered by experience.

MW