How Pets Build Emotional Fitness 

It's the worst–especially since I raised him from six weeks old. My kids always said my German Shepherd, Buddy, was over-attached to me. He would follow me everywhere, ready to join any adventure I was embarking on. We had a couple of pretty dangerous scrapes over the years, including a close encounter with a mountain lion and Buddy falling into a crevasse. But, we got through it all together.

Then, it was his time. I had to put Buddy down.

Looking at the bigger picture, why do humans get so attached to pets? My own research has shown that playing with any old dog for 10 minutes substantially reduces stress hormones, triggers the release of oxytocin–the attachment neurochemical–in those with a history of pet ownership, and makes people readily trust strangers. 

Perhaps this is not surprising to you–we made dogs. And, we bred them to be the best version of ourselves: loyal, happy, protective, huggable, and loveable. 

In our studies, the control condition for the dog study was, of course, playing with cats. On average, cats didn’t produce the same effects on humans we found with dogs. Yet, the data showed that a few people did have very positive physiologic responses to playing with cats. We call these folks "cat people;" you know who you are. But, nearly 100% of the people in our study showed positive neurophysiologic and behavioral responses after interacting with a dog. 

Research by other labs has replicated our findings. These studies have also shown that dogs are an effective way to improve and sustain mental health. And a meta-analysis found that just receiving a visit from a therapy dog reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety. In fact, many colleges and universities will bring in dogs before finals to help students manage the stress and anxiety that peaks at the end of the academic term. 

A few years ago, NPR reporter Barbara Bradley Hagerty invited me to study the role of animal therapy in a rehab facility for older adults. Barb had interviewed me about the brain basis for human goodness, and she was trying new activities as she transitioned into midlife as reported in her wonderful book Life Reimagined: The Science, Art, and Opportunity of Midlife. One of these activities was getting certified, along with her yellow lab Sandra Day, to provide dog therapy to bed- and room-bound patients. So, I met Barb and Sandra Day at a rehab facility outside of Washington, D.C. to measure the effects of canine therapy.

In this mini-study, patients played with Barb's dog for 10 minutes. Patients loved having the visit from Sandra Day and Barb, and they showed a significant surge in neurologic value, measured by our Immersion technology. But, the most interesting discovery was that Barb experienced the same physiologic response as the patients, simply by watching them interact with Sandra Day. As I have previously discussed, we often share the emotional states of others. When patients had a surge in neurologic value, so did Barb. Barb's service to others wasn’t just meaningful to patients–it was neurologically valuable for her. The experience triggered several high-value Key Moments when her brain and body were flooded with oxytocin. The cumulation of happiness-inducing Key Moments is the basis for thriving: more happy experiences and fewer unhappy ones. Barb found a calling in helping others and thereby improved her own ability to thrive. 

Dogs are especially effective for those who suffer from social anxiety or are otherwise lonely. Dogs activate networks in the brain for attachment. Activating this pathway over time makes it easier to connect to people. Walking a dog is also a wonderful way to meet people. I moved recently and within a month, my twice a day walks with Buddy introduced me to just about everyone in my new neighborhood. People with dogs are viewed as trustworthy, and strangers would cross the street to say hello and ask to pet Buddy. Buddy enjoyed this, and it made the humans happy, too.

Making Emotional Fitness Measurable

At Immersion, we’ve spent 20 years mapping the brain’s socio-emotional valuation network and developing algorithms that measure real-time neurologic value through everyday wearables like Oura, Apple Watch, Whoop, and more. The SIX app continuously captures the social-emotional value of experiences and empowers users to objectively determine what personally creates Key Moments and brings them joy. 

Playing with Buddy almost always created a high-value Key Moment. Add in my kids playing with me and Buddy, or a neighbor saying hi, and the SIX app showed that my brain obtained very high value from this double whammy of socializing. SIX made this measurable. 

Published research from my lab shows that people who regularly get six or more Key Moments a day–as measured by SIX–are thriving neurologically and behaviorally. That is, they are passionately engaged in life, in others, and even with their dogs–and they report better mood and energy than those who get fewer Key Moments. SIX's integration with users' calendars and its AI assistant provide personalized advice on what users can do to increase flourishing. 

So, get out there and take that walk. Play with your pet. Connect with others. Track what truly matters to your personal thriving with SIX, so you can put your energy into the things that uniquely contribute to your well-being. 

SIX is free, so try it today and see what you learn about yourself, what you love doing, and who you love doing it with.

Here's a bonus for you. The BBC asked me to run an experiment to see whether dogs or cats love their owners more. If you want to find the answer, and see adorable kittens and puppies, enjoy this video clip.